JASkets Blog

Felting

2012-01-20T20:52:00.004-06:00

I have been meaning to post these photos forever, but keep forgetting. As followers of my blog and facebook page know, I have been playing around with felting 100% wool blazers and sweaters to use in craft projects, such as felt wreaths, felt phone caddies, and pin cushions. When I felt the blazers I completely rip all the seams apart so that I am washing pieces of fabric. I can tell that the pieces shrink during the process, but it is hard to tell exactly how dramatic the size change is. Sweaters on the other hand I felt intact and then cut apart. Depending on the type of wool and how heavy the sweater is will affect how much they are going to shrink up. Sometime the change is huge and literally makes me laugh when I pull out a men's XL and it now looks like a child's sweater.

Here are some before and after photos to give you an idea.


Man's XL 100% wool sweater.


After washing the sweater in hot water through three cycles.

The dramatic change in size once the felting process occurs.

Edit

NOTE: I just want to warn you that felting in your washing machine is not supposed to be the greatest for the filter. It produces a huge amount of lint. If you can clean it out of the washing machine drum before it going through the rinse cycle and filter that would be better. If you run these in your dryer be sure to check the lint filter often on that too. You will completely fill it in no time. You can save this to use as stuffing too if you want. I stuffed a couple of pin cushions with it, but then got tired of collecting it.

Level Two

2012-01-17T19:37:00.000-06:00

So as soon as I made the first level of the stamp carousel I knew that I was going to need a second one. Originally I thought the second tier would be smaller, but unfortunately making it any smaller dropped the number of spaces down significantly. I figured it was better to give myself room to grow, so I made this new one the same diameter as the base. Now I have room for 24 blending tools. I have 20 right now, though all haven't been assigned a color.

I also added a loop on the top so that I could spin it easier and for carrying. I want a bit more decorative knob, but this was the best I could find at Home Depot and I was impatient to get it completed. Right now the piece is just oiled, but I will probably add a coat or two of finish to seal it and bring out the beauty of the wood.

This House (or Room at Least) Is Clean!

2012-01-16T20:39:00.001-06:00

I thought I better take some photos while my basket room was still clean, especially my big work table. I don't think the top has been clear in months, what with Christmas card and gift making. Grayson, is happy to have the whole table top back to himself.

My dad built me my big work table a few years ago. I love it, it is 5"x6" with plenty of space to spread out my projects. I designed it so that the base is open for storage. I have a couple of large clear storage bins with additional storage cases for my stamp ink pads, sewing machine, etc.

My dad also made me the white shelves to hold clear storage boxes for my basket weaving supplies. I like to keep my materials sorted by size, so each box holds materials for a specific size basket. My Shaker and Nantucket molds fill up an antique bucket shelf. The walls are lined with baskets that I have made or collected.

A few years ago I added track lighting over my work table. It really helps so much. I have a number of goose neck lamps that I can adjust for specific task lighting.

Most people would use the largest room in the house as a family room, but I guess I am not "most people"...

Remembering Past Fun - JoAnn Kelly Catsos Workshop

2012-01-08T20:08:00.000-06:00

I just put together the photo gallery of the workshop I hosted with JoAnn Kelly Catsos this past October. We made two black ash baskets, a black and natural twilled bowl and a captured lid cathead. Participants had a choice of twill design on the first bowl and for the second basket they could make either a 4" or 6" cathead. It is so much fun to relive all the fun times we had weaving and visiting with old friends. Here are some highlights from our three days of weaving.

JoAnn demonstrates setting up the quadrafoil lid for weaving.

JoAnn demonstrates finishing off the lashing on a Black Diamond bowl.

I made a special basket, a scaled version of a #9 captured quadrafoil lid cathead.

First Project of 2012!

2012-01-02T16:53:00.000-06:00

I have learned a number of new stamping techniques this past fall. One of the really cool things I have added to my skill set is the use of Distress Inks and a blending tool. Basically a blending tool is a piece of foam sponge mounted to a wooden handle. You use the tool to create a blended antiqued or distressed looking edge to your paper and craft projects. I used this technique on my co-workers Christmas gifts this year.

The little pieces of foam attach to the wooden handle with velco so you can change them for each color. For most projects you would use one or two colors so would want multiple blending tools. In my stash of "stuff" I had 4 or 5 cigar boxes full of vintage wooden stamp blocks and handles that my dad had gotten at a garage sale or auction and thought I could use them. All my stamps either were already mounted to blocks or were the clear cling kind that wouldn't stick to these. I just been sitting on them for the last 5 years or so. After trying a blending tool for the first time a light bulb went off in my head. I had finally found a use for my boxes of blocks! They were all of various sizes, a few were the right size, but most were not, so I had to cut them down and drill new holes for the handles. I had enough that I was able to make a tool for each color of Distress Ink I have.

Well, with all these blending tools storage was becoming an issue. You can buy metal racks designed to hold these, but they don't hold that many. I would love to find a nice two tiered vintage stamp carousel, but that is going to take some estate sale scavenging. So, in the interim I decided that I would make a wooden version. After an initial failed attempt I made some adjustments and the above photo shows the results of my work. My goal is to add either another level or to make a second one since I have more tools than this one will hold. It isn't fancy, but it works and the wood is kind of pretty.

Alice Ogden - Christmas Ornament 2011

2011-12-31T13:58:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot to post about my 2011 Christmas ornament basket from Alice Ogden. I actually almost forgot to order mine this year too. I normally contact Alice right around Thanksgiving, but with the way the time flew by this year I didn't get my check in the mail until right before Christmas. Of course I wasn't too worried since I have my basket tree up in my work room all year round.

This year's basket is so cute. I don't think my photograph really shows how small and delicate the basket really is. At 2.5" in diameter by a bit over 1.5" tall with a hand carved heart shaped handle it is a real beauty.

Playing

2011-12-31T09:44:00.000-06:00

Just playing with Mom's new camera Dad got her for Christmas. It is a Nikon digital SLR with a really great telephoto lens. I was sitting inside looking out the family room window when I captured these two gold finches at the bird bath. I really want that camera! I will have to start saving up my pennies.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T20:16:00.000-06:00

My collections

2011-12-23T21:54:00.000-06:00

Well I tried to take photos of my whole collection and couldn't. I think that may mean I have too many, but I love Santas and snowmen. I like a variety of styles, but especially like hand-made ones, either that I have made myself or have bought at craft fairs.

Here are some of my snowmen lining the top of my entertainment center. The resin snowmen on the left I painted myself. The large snowman on the left is a counted cross-stitch 3D figure that I made ages ago (I only did the cross-stitch, I had someone do the 3D construction).

The snowman on the left, with the kookie tie is a wood cutout that I made at one point when I was into folk art painting. I made a bunch of different ornaments and figurines, but sold most of them. Of course I never made anymore, so I think only have two left.

All of the pencil Santas I painted myself, back in the day when you could buy unpainted resin figurines. I used to add a few every year to my collection, but probably haven't painted a new one in 10 years. I had my dad make me the ledge to display them on and it is full now, so I guess it is good I haven't made any more.

The Santa faces painted on the cones and eggs I bought over a number of years from a women who had a booth at a pumpkin fest in a tiny town near my home town. My mom has a bunch of them too, as well as some plates and other items she had painted on. A couple years ago we weren't able to go and the women was so worried that something had happened to us that she emailed my mom to make sure we were OK. I guess we were good customers.

I should try to take a photo of my mom's collection. She makes me look like an amateur.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-20T19:20:00.000-06:00

Some photos of my living room mantle. My dad bought me a box of vintage houses that I just love. I am always looking for more, though I never seem to run across them. I keep threatening to make some myself and I found patterns for some from Martha Stewart, but have yet to try them. I also love bottle brush trees. I have collected quite a few of those now, both new and vintage. These I seem to run across here and there and I will pick them up if they aren't too expensive. I have just been playing with bleaching some of my new ones and adding glitter. I want to try dying some of them too and adding some mercury glass balls or little fruit (I love the tree in the second photo with all the fruit and glitter).

I like a display like this since it is and it isn't Christmas. Since it is "wintery" I don't mind leaving it up after the holidays are over for awhile. Also it is such a pain to put them all away I am never too excited to get started.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and gets to spend some time with their family and friends.

My 2011 Christmas Cards

2011-12-19T11:22:00.000-06:00

Every year I say that I am not going to do a complicated card and every year they seem to get more involved. This year's card was a lot of work, but I was very happy with the way it turned out. I tried a bunch of new techniques and used some new materials so even though they were time consuming, it was fun creative time. I decided to do a tag this year instead of a traditional fold-over card and my hope is that the recipients will keep them to use as decorations to hang on the tree. I know, I have my extra card hanging on mine.

One of the new materials I used on these was Perfect Pearls Mist. It adds a nice ice shine to the paper and even to the seam binding ribbon tied to the top of the tag. Another new discovery was butcher's twin, you know, the stuff you tie up a piece of meat with or sew up a turkey with. It is so inexpensive (when you buy it from a cooking store) and yet it adds a nice holiday touch in red and white.

So let's see, the techniques I used on this card include: direct to paper inking; stamping; embossing; and edging with ink blending tool. The materials I used include: manilla shipping tag; card stock, Distress Ink pads; clear embossing powder; butcher's twine; seam binding tape; tiny attacher staples (dyed with alcohol ink); ATG tape gun; shape punch; and "vintage" tinsel garland.

Wow, I am tired just listing all the stuff I used to make these. Next year they will be less complicate, really, they will...

Holiday Work Gifts

2011-12-17T15:02:00.001-06:00

I usually make my work gifts and this year I decided to make some stamped card sets. These were copied from a Tim Holtz project, so I can't take credit for the idea. They were fun to make and relatively quick too, even with the stamping, embossing and edging. Tying the silly butcher's twine was the most tedious step in the process. A friend and I assembly-line made dozen's of these in one evening. We decided that sets of eight would be good and I had some plastic boxes that I had bought one time on sale cubbied away so used those and tied them up with butcher's twine.

Grayson is always ready to lend a helping hand, or paw as the case may be. The twine was just too much for him to resist. Fortunately I got everything boxed up before he slobbered all over the cards.

Christmas Cards 2011

2011-12-11T10:16:00.000-06:00

About to get my Christmas cards completed for this year. Of course I am behind schedule, but when isn't that the case. I think I have all the parts stamped. Now it is time to start assembling. This year I went with a "tag" design instead of a traditional folded card. I am using a bunch of new techniques, so they have been fun to work on. So far I am pleased with how they are turning out. Of course I always say this year will be the year I make a less complicated card, but so far they seem to only get more involved.

Now to just finish them up, get them signed, addressed and into the mail. I'll post a finished card after they get mailed out, don't want to spoil all the surprise!

Vault Gallery Exhibit

2011-12-05T22:32:00.001-06:00

I was honored when my childhood hometown Chamber of Commerce asked me to display my baskets for the month of December. The Chamber is now housed in an old bank in the town square and they turned the old vault into an exhibit space. While small, it actually makes for a nice exhibit space. Mirrors on both ends makes the room seem larger than it really is and the old lock boxes add an interesting backdrop. If on some odd chance you happen to be in Mexico, MO during the week this December be sure to stop by for a look. If you can't make it, here are some photos of the display.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:07:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone has a very happy Thanksgiving. I am spending mine with my family and we are doing all our traditional cooking and more importantly, eating! One of our family's specialties is the way we prepare our dressing. Instead of stuffing the turkey, which I think makes it a mushy mess, or baking a big dish of dressing, where only the corners are nice and crispy, we make individual servings ... what we call "dressing balls". It is my responsibility to mush everything up with my hands and scoop them onto cookie sheets. Not only are they perfectly crispy all around they are also perfect to reheat for all the great post Thanksgiving leftover meals.

I give you, the Badaracco/Stubblefield Dressing Balls™ ...

Dried bread, cornbread, sage, etc. dressing.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-29T12:33:00.000-05:00

I recently got a Sizzix Big Shot embossing and die cutting machine. I am having so much fun playing with it. I try to make Halloween cards to send out (I don't always get it done though) and my new toy was the perfect excuse/motivation this year. On of my basket buddies also turned me onto Distress Ink stamp pads and showed me some new techniques and tools. So, here is what I came up with.

Click to enlarge

2011 JoAnn Kelly Catsos Worshop

2011-10-15T21:11:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a busy couple of months I have had. The high light of the month had to be the workshop I hosted with JoAnn Kelly Catsos. I had fourteen very happy weavers at my house for three days of fun. We made two baskets in class, a lovely 4" twilled bowl and either a 4" or 6" Shaker inspired captured lid cathead basket.

JoAnn displays the two patterns that we could choose from for our first basket.

Diamond Reflections.

Black Diamonds – of course I had to make both versions.

Working on the lid to my 6" captured lid cathead.

I made a special basket that was a scaled version of a #9 Shaker captured lid basket.

JoAnn shared her birthday during the workshop so of course we had to celebrate.

It was only appropriate that we embarrassed JoAnn as much as possible.

My completed basket along with the lid mold I custom made.

My new 6" basket along with the #9 Shaker I made back in 1989 with Martha Wetherbee.

Basket Ring

2011-08-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

Basket Weave Wedding Band in 14 Karat Yellow Gold

Continuing with the basket wedding theme here is a basketweave ring. I was really surprised I didn't find more rings with a woven pattern. There are so many pendants with baskets, many of which are actually woven of metal, not just cast.

Covered Swing Handle Basket
Hand forged and hand woven in 18k & 22k gold.
size: 1 1/4 in. dia. x 7/8 in. h. (1 1/2 in. o.h.)
from Stephen Zeh

Cake Basket

2011-08-23T19:30:00.000-05:00

25.5" x 15.75" diam.

Wedding Cake Basket
1986
Mary Adams
Fort Covington, New York 1917-1999
woven sweetgrass and ash splint
Smithsonian American Art Museum

Last month I wrote about cakes that looked like a basket. I just ran across this basket, by Mohawk weaver Mary Adams, that looks like a cake. I think if I were going to spend thousands of dollars on a wedding cake I would much rather have one like this! What do you say?

Knotting Workshop

2011-08-17T18:31:00.000-05:00

Pinball Dervish by Norman Sherfield

Just found another knotting workshop being taught by Norman Sherfield of Eureka, California. The workshop is being held at Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Gualala Road in Gualala, CA.

Knot This Way:

Learn to create knotted waxed Linen sculptural objects

Friday - Monday

September 9, 10, 11 and 12, 2011

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

707-884-1138

Contemplation by Norman Sherfield

I wanna take another class!

2011-08-10T20:18:00.002-05:00

My set of Shaker boxes from John Wilson worshop

I haven't gotten to take a class in a while and I am itching to do one. While I still learn something new in any class that I take, the real benefit for me is getting away from the phone, the internet, the laundry and all the other distractions of modern life.

I ran across these videos today and oh how do I want to make a new set of Shaker Boxes. John Wilson is the gentleman I took a class from this past winter. It was a great class and so much fun. My nesting set of five boxes are aging nicely. The cherry wood is already getting so dark. You can really notice the change when you take the lids off and see the original color of the wood around the top of the box where the lid has shielded the wood from the light. Right now I have the boxes lined up in a row on the window sill facing the opposite direction to give them a sun tan on their fronts that have been facing into the room.

If you are curious on seeing how boxes are made here are a couple of videos that pretty much show you the whole process. This gentleman does a few things a bit differently than Mr. Wilson, but the overall process is the same as the way I learned.

So, if you ever get a chance to take a class, be it a Shaker box workshop or just a make-it-and-take it card class at your local craft shop, do it! Even if you don't learn something new, though I bet you will, at least it will get your mind and your hands working.

2011 JoAnn Kelly Catsos Worshop

2011-07-24T17:56:00.000-05:00

Saturday - Monday, October 8, 9, 10, 2011

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

I am so excited to be able to offer this workshop to make two beautiful baskets with JoAnn Kelly Catsos of Ashley Falls, MA. JoAnn has won numerous awards for her beautiful black ash baskets and in 1999 she was asked to weave an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree. She also was one of the first to receive the Certificate of Excellence Level I Basketmaking from the Handweavers Guild of America. JoAnn and her husband Steve produce all the weaving materials, hardwood rims and handles, and molds themselves. I hope you can join JoAnn and me for this exciting and fun class.

Black Diamond & Diamond Reflections
4.25" dia. x 1.75" deep

These charming twilled bowls are woven of natural and stained black ash splint. They feature a diamond design in the base, twilled sides, black waxed linen rim filler and lashed hardwood rims.

6" Quadrafoil Lidded Cathead & 4" Cherub
5" dia. x 8.5" high 4.5" dia. x 6.5" high

These baskets were inspired by an antique Shaker basket found in the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA. Although smaller than the original, they contain the same classic design elements: the quadrafoil twill design and captured lid. They are woven of finely prepared black ash over two different molds and finished with hardwood rims.

Instructor: JoAnn Kelly Catsos

The workshop will include your choice of Diamond Bowls and

either the 6" Lidded Cathead or 4" Cherub.

Diamond Bowl + 4" Cherub	$285
Diamond Bowl + 6" Lidded Cathead	$305

PLEASE NOTE

This is a three day advanced workshop

with quadrafoil twill experience necessary.

Both baskets are included in the workshop.

Contact: Tony Stubblefield
if you would like to receive registration information

Walnut Wave

2011-07-16T10:08:00.001-05:00

4"diameter

This is another basket kit I purchased from Marlys Sowers. It features a walnut base, solid rim and turned lid. The basket is woven of cane over cane (the kit included half-round reed uprights, but I substituted my own 5mm cane) with waxed linen. It was a fun basket pattern to weave. You are actually weaving with two different elements at the same time, a strand of cane and a length of brown waxed linen. It took a few minutes to get the pattern down, but once I got into the rhythm it was easy and fun to weave. I would really like to try this pattern again on another basket.

Zebra Wood Vase

2011-07-03T18:52:00.000-05:00

4" dia. x 9 3/4" tall

I bought the Marlys Sowers kit for this basket at the Stateline Weaving Retreat and finished it right after I got home. It features a zebra wood base, single-piece rim and lid; and dyed hamburg cane and flat oval reed. The basket is woven over a plastic tumbler which is glued to the base, so it is not only the mold, but also a liner for the vase. While the pattern looks complicated it is actually quite easy and fun to watch form.

Knitting Projects

2011-06-27T22:14:00.000-05:00

Well, for those of you who follow me on Facebook you know that I am learning to knit. I found an etsy store, Danger Crafts, full of these very cute knitted monsters by Rebecca Danger and immediately thought of my grandmother. She was an immensely creative person who was constantly creating. She knitted, crocheted, sewed, just about anything you could do with your hands. One of my favorite childhood memories is of going over to my grandparent's house and where my grandfather would bar-b-que and my grandmother would turn my drawings into 3D stuffed toys.

Since my grandma had everything she really needed and didn't really want anything for Christmas we would always get her lots of yarn which she would knit into afghans, wash clothes, stocking caps and whatever struck her fancy. I knew that she would have gotten a kick out of knitting Rebecca Danger's monsters. Since my grandmother had passed a last October I decided that as a tribute to her I would learn how to knit myself and make one of the monsters.

I purchased a kit of one of the monsters, Iris and with the help of my mother, who is also an avid knitter (she owned a yarn and needle craft shop for over 25 years), I began working on my project. I started out with some inexpensive acrylic yarn that I had from my grandma.

Well after getting that far on my practice piece I decided to just keep going. Unfortunately I didn't have enough of the gold yarn so had to switch to another color and improvise a bit with the design. Here is the fruits of my labors. It isn't perfect, I messed up a few times, but I did learn a lot.

Of course I couldn't stop after just one so I bought 6 more patterns and downloaded 3 others. Here is the second of the monsters I completed. This one turned out as the pattern was written and I even learned a new technique, the "magic loop" which allows you to knit very small diameter tubes on circular needles.

This is Albert the Absent-Minded Monster. And here he is with his buddy, Ira the Sweater Monster (I had to change his name, since he was originally a she, but my finished version just didn't look like a girl).

I still have the wool yarn that came with the original kit for Iris and I am going to start that next since I think I have my basic skills down now. I will have to let you know how Ira's girlfriend turns out.

Eric Taylor Workshop Results

2011-06-20T22:53:00.002-05:00

I finally had a chance to photograph the baskets that I made during Eric Taylor's workshop here at my home in St. Louis this May. Of course I forgot to take a picture of the mini Cottage Smalls Carrier because I had already hung it on my basket Christmas tree. I will have to remember to photographic during my next photo session. Hopefully I will be able to get Eric back again as all the baskets we made were just beautiful.

Cottage Carrier

10"(l) x 8"(w) x 9"(h)

10th Anniversary Cottage Mail

11.5"(l) x 5.5"(w) x 6.5"(h)

Cottage Tool Tote

17"(l) x 6.5"(w) x 9.5"(h)

Cottage Towering Tote

10.5"(l) x 7.5"(w) x 14"(h)

This last basket was an extra evening project I worked on. I had really wanted to make this basket so Eric brought a kit for me and let me borrow a mold. I bought one other kit and mold and need to work on that one sometime in the near future when I have some free time (yeah right!).

Stephen Zeh Baskets

2011-06-19T19:28:00.000-05:00

Stephen Zeh, 8" to 3" dia.

Stephen Zeh is a Maine brown (aka black) ash basket maker. Zeh began making baskets in 1980 and under the tutelage of Penobscot Indian basketmaker, Eddie Newell, he fine tuned his skills. I have been fortunate to have met Stephen at the Anarbor Street Art Fair several years ago. A while back I found one of Stephen's baskets on Ebay and recently I acquired this beautiful nesting set. Each basket has a kicked up bottom and lovely hand-carved swing handle.

A nesting set like this would have originally had five baskets ranging in size from 10" to 3". At some point the largest basket was separated and sold. Even incomplete the set is still quite a find and a nice addition to my collection of fine contemporary baskets.

Eric Taylor Workshop

2011-05-30T22:54:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how time has flown and it has already been a couple weeks since Eric Taylor was here in St. Louis leading four wonderful classes. Eighteen people participated in the workshop and 48 baskets were woven over 4 fun-filled days. Eric brought lots of kits and molds and made a lot of weavers very happy. I picked up one kit and mold that I am going to be starting here soon. Eric definitely went home with a lighter load.

One of the baskets we made was a small 3" x 2.5" basket. It looked really difficult, but was surprisingly easy to weave. I always think minis are going to be hard to make, but they are so easy and quick to make. Everyone did really well and went home with a cute little addition to their collection.

Eric starts his baskets in a way I hadn't tried before.

Eric gives lots of hands-on help with the baskets.

Just a few of Eric's many interesting handle and basket designs.

The five baskets I made during the workshop.

Save the Date - 2011 JoAnn Kelly Catsos Workshop

2011-05-14T14:17:00.002-05:00

Mark your calendars as I am very excited to announce that I have 2011 dates set for JoAnn Kelly Catsos' return to St. Louis. The workshop will be Saturday, October 8 to Monday, October 10, 2011. This year it will be all about choices. On Friday you will have your choice of either 4" Black Diamond or Diamond Reflections, and then on Saturday and Sunday you will have your choice of either the 6" quadrafoil captured lid cathead or 4" Cherub.

4" Black Diamond & Diamond Reflections

6" Quadrafoil Lidded Cathead & 4" Cherub

I should be sending out registration information in the next month or so. I hope you can join us to make these beautiful baskets. If you are interested in attending this workshop please send me your email and mailing address.

Let Them Eat (Nantucket Basket) Cake

2011-05-03T22:08:00.001-05:00

Now I ask you, who wouldn't want a Nantucket basket cake? The entire baskets are edible, handles, scrimshaw, even the shells and some of the flowers.

Cakes by Calligraphics

Jodi's Cakes.

Nantucket basket cake by amateur baker Kim313

Bump Bottom Basket

2011-05-01T22:14:00.001-05:00

8.5" dia. x 10.5" high

I made this basket quite a few years ago in Oriental, NC in a workshop lead by Eric Taylor. This was a different style basket for Eric, his baskets almost exclusively feature solid wood bottoms, but this basket features a radial spoke-woven bottom. The style of the base of the basket is called a "bump bottom" since it is raised or pushed up. The basket is woven of hand pounded black (brown) ash, nailed walnut rims and a notched walnut handle. This basket was challenge to weave. All 16 staves were each tapered from 5/8" to 1/8". The weavers graduated in size from 1/32" to 3/32".

First Nantucket Class

2011-04-19T20:54:00.001-05:00

20" x 16.5" Big Boy Oval

This was the first Nantucket-style basket I made in a class. I had made a number of Nantucket baskets before this, but had been working only from some instructions I had gotten from an Early American Life magazine. Needless to say the class was a real eye-opener.

I made this basket in 1998 during one of my summer trips to New Hampshire. The class was taught by Lisa Thayer of Long Island, NY. I think the class was about three or maybe four days of steady work. I remember it took us all of one day just to get the staves shaped and inserted and just an inch or so woven. It took the remaining time to weave the body of the basket. The mold was so large that it was a lot of work just to reach around the 17 or 18 inch long staves to weave one stitch. The last day we installed the rims and about mid-day it started raining which provided just enough humidity to the air that the now glued rims were almost impossible to get on the basket. I can remember the relief when that outside rim finally slipped over the edge of the staves and I was able to squeeze it into place.

I learned so much in the class that I called the woman who hosted my classes and scheduled to teach a Nantucket class. I came home with a set of 12 5" Nantucket molds and began teaching classes. I still have those molds, but unfortunately they have been sitting unused for classes for about 10 years. I guess I need to get back to teaching with those!

Basket Easels

2011-03-26T22:50:00.000-05:00

Here is a great way to display your shallow baskets and baskets with detailed bottoms/bases. My mother used to have easels in her needlework shop to display framed pieces. I thought they would be great for displaying baskets so I redesigned them to be deeper and wider. I make these in three distressed finished, toffee, black and white.

Before

After

Box Project

2011-03-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

So I got a wild hair last night and decided that I needed to make a new box to display my hand-stamped basket cards when I am vending at conventions, like Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat. My woodworking skills are actually kind of limited. I grew up with a father who was a high school industrial arts teacher and who now makes custom built furniture, but of course I didn't learn how to do any of that for the 18 years I lived at home. Fortunately I have a photographic memory and know how to do many things in principle (like knitting and crochet). I have a pretty good wood working shop, just enough to be dangerous, but not quite everything a true furniture builder would need.

With my limited skills, limited tools and some scrap wood I decided to make a box based on a really nice dove-tailed bird's eye maple Shaker-style handled carrier. I couldn't do the dove-tails so just had to butt the corner joins. I did mark and pre-drill the nail holes, trying to make them look somewhat decorative. I had a couple of scrap boards that Dad had given me probably 15 years ago that were really pretty so I used one of them to make the base. I am not really sure what kind of wood it is. I do know that the sides are maple (scraps from my weaving stand making). The model/sample base was attached to the sides with counter sunk brass screws so I did the same and was actually impressed with how nice that looked. It isn't anything fancy, but it will look nicer than a cardboard box holding my cards.

Here is the fruits of my labors.

12" x 7.5"

Eric Otter Bacon wins award

2011-03-16T09:39:00.001-05:00

I just found out that Eric Otter Bacon (who I posted about previously) was awarded 2nd place at the juried 53rd Heard Museum Indian Fair & Market.

CLASSIFICATION VIII - BASKETS

Div A - Traditional
Second Place
Eric J. Otter Bacon (Passamaquoddy)
"Golden Eagle/Landlock Salmon Birch Basket"

Congratulations to Eric and all the other award winners.

Eric Otter Bacon

2011-03-10T11:15:00.000-06:00

One of the newest additions to my basket collection. A beautiful acorn basket from Wabanaki (Passamaquoddy) artist Eric Otter Bacon.

2.75" dia. x 2.25" tall w/o handle

The basket is woven of finely prepared black ash, sweet grass and birch bark with a "stem" carved of moose antler.

2011 Eric Taylor Workshop

2011-02-13T10:48:00.000-06:00

After many years of talking about it I am so happy to announce that Eric Taylor will be coming to St. Louis to teach 4 classes! Eric Taylor has been making traditional baskets and Shaker boxes since 1983 when he began an apprenticeship under Martha Wetherbee. His love for working with wood and the black ash trees inspired him to experiment further in the art which lead to creating his own contemporary designs that combined the elements of the Shaker and Nantucket baskets. Eric has taught the art of basketry, nationally, for twenty years.

The Cottage Collection

Like a Shaker basket, all of the Cottage Collection are woven with hand-pounded black ash splint over hand-pounded black ash uprights, but like a Nantucket basket feature solid wood bases and nailed rims. Woven over a mold the baskets feature finely shaped cherry handles, notched and secured to the rims.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Cottage Carrier

10"(l) x 8"(w) x 9"(h)

Friday, May 20, 2011

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

10th Anniversary Cottage Mail

11.5"(l) x 5.5"(w) x 6.5"(h)

Saturday, May 21, 2011

9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Cottage Smalls Carrier

3"(l) x 2.5"(w) x 3.5"(h)

Saturday, May 21, 2011

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Sunday, May 22, 2011

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Cottage Tool Tote

17"(l) x 6.5"(w) x 9.5"(h)

Workshop Fees

Cottage Carrier	$165
10th Anniversary Cottage Mail	$135
Cottage Smalls Carrier	$105
Cottage Tool Tote	$260

Or register for all four classes for $630, a discount of $35 over taking each class individually. Class fees include all materials, handouts and use of mold, weaving stand and tools.

Contact: Tony Stubblefield
if you would like to receive registration information

John Wilson Shaker Box Making Workshop

2011-01-13T23:13:00.000-06:00

Originally I was supposed to be on the fifth day of a workshop with Marilyn Moore at the John C. Campbell Folk School, but unfortunately the class was canceled due to low enrollment. Needless to say I was very disappointed as this was going to be something really outside of my comfort zone and I was looking forward to the challenge.

Well I decided since I already had the week of vacation approved I would go ahead and take it off and just get all the stuff, that didn't get done during the holidays, accomplished. (So far I am not getting much checked off my to-do list, but I still have a couple more days!) Initially I had tried to find and alternative class or workshop to take, but in January those are far and few between, plus I didn't have a lot of time to look with the holidays right around the corner.

I have always wanted to take a Shaker box making class with John Wilson at his home workshop in Michigan, but every time there has been a conflict with one of the four or so classes he teaches there a year. In one evening and a day you make a set of five cherry oval boxes. I thought I would give it a shot, but he didn't have his 2011 schedule up on his website yet. I thought about calling, but one thing lead to another and I never got it done.

Flash forward to the Thursday night before my week of vacation was to begin. I was getting home late from a video and photo shoot for a commercial and print ad and stopped to collect the mail. Amongst the couple of bills and grocery store sales was a envelope from John Wilson. I knew it would be a new catalog and updated class schedule. As I looked flipped to the schedule, what was the first date and class to appear? A beginner Shaker box making class starting on Friday at 6pm. YES, 6pm the next day, in Michigan! I had looked up the route to his shop before and knew it was easily a days drive. I did some quick map search on the internet and determined that it would be possible to make the class the next day if I left early in the morning. The problem was that I had to work the next day, plus I didn't even know if there was space in the class.

By this point it is 7:30 and my mind is racing. I form enough coherent thoughts to realize the first course of action was to determine if I could even get into the class before I figured out how I could take off work. So, I called John's workshop just on the off chance that someone might be there. Well a young boy answered the phone much to my surprise, I asked for John and after some yelling of, "Mom, some guy wants to talk to dad," I was informed that John was asleep. I got off the phone saying I would call back in the morning. Well I figured I might as well go to the next step and call my boss at home to see if I could take off. I was going to offer the option of coming in on Monday of my week off to finish up the stuff I was supposed to do the next day. My boss didn't answer so I had to leave a message.

About an hour later my boss called me back and had no idea what I was talking about as I am sure my message was a crazed jumble of information. The great boss that she is she agreed to let me have the day off if I would come in on Monday, but she also cautioned me to check the weather. Duh, I knew that we were maybe supposed to get a dusting here in St. Louis, but didn't really know what was happening in Michigan. We decided that since I couldn't even find out if I could get into the class until in the morning that I would either be at work in the morning or I would call from the road that I was on my way.

I ran around, laid out clothes and brought up my suitcase from the basement. I also checked weather.com and got mixed messages about bad weather around Lake Michigan and Charlotte, MI where the class was going to be held. I decided to pack warm clothes and good boots and outerwear and that I would simply ask John what the weather was like. I also did a search on hotels and found a cheap Super 8 a couple miles from class. I finally got myself settled enough to go to sleep since I was going to be getting up at the crack of dawn.

My normal routine is for the alarm to go off at 4:30 to go to the gym. I did my normal routine knowing that I would need to call at the same time as I had to be into work. Fortunately at some point in the morning I realize that Michigan is in the eastern time zone and that instead of having to wait until 8:30 to call I could call at 7:30am St. Louis time. I watched the weather again and it looked like Charlotte would be at the edge of the bad weather. I called John promptly at 7:30 my time and John answered. As luck would happen someone had recently canceled and there was a spot in class and he said that while it was winter in Michigan they were far enough away that they didn't get the lake effect snow. I told him that I was zipping up my suitcase, throwing it into the back of the car and would be driving straight to class.

Well, since this story is getting ridiculously long as it is I will summarize my drive with a few words, such as, engine light, blowing snow, black ice, 0 to 30 mile hour creeping, blue skies, speeding and only stops for gas and the bathroom. After all that craziness I still was the first one to class! Apparently the drive is shorter than MapQuest indicated and my new Garmin GPS I got for Christmas is very accurate in approximating arrival times.

While I was a bit frazzled the first night of class I had a great time and I am very happy with the way my boxes turned out. I just now want to make another set as I feel I was learning on this set and I would like to make another with what I know now.

Here are some photos from my experience.

John Wilson's Shaker Oval Box Making Workshop

The 100 plus year old copper tack making machines. Possibly the only two left in existence.

John Wilson and a nest of 15 oval Shaker boxes in a variety of woods.

Bending the box bands was surprisingly easy. After soaking for 10 minutes in boiling water the wood was like bending leather.

Nailing the box bands using the tiny copper tacks John makes.

Even bending the large bands was easy.

The largest box at 6.5" x 8" bent with shapers inserted for drying.

The class boxes bent and set up to air dry.

John demonstrating marking the top of the box.

John demonstrating sanding the box top to shape.

With the box assembled, holes are drilled through the bands and into the top and bottom disks.

Small wooden pegs (aka, tooth picks) are used to peg the lid and base.

My completed nest of five oval Shaker boxes.

After a few coats of finish to bring out the beauty of the cherry wood the nest is ready for display.

2010 Alice Ogden Christmas Ornament

2010-12-18T15:02:00.000-06:00

Alice Ogden of West Franklin, NH outdoes herself again this year with another incredibly beautiful basket for my Christmas tree. Measuring only 1" wide x 2" long x 1 3/8" high it is a perfect scale replica of her full size double swing handle basket. Alice has making black ash basket ornaments since 1995 with a new design each year since 1997. I am fortunate to have all of her designs gracing my tree (which I actually leave up all year in my weaving studio).

Alice not only processes all of her splint and hand carves all of her white oak handles and rims she is also a great basket weaving instructor. I made a full size version of this basket back in 2003.

8" l x 5.25" w x 5.75" h

Alice packing one of her full-sized double swing handled baskets.

Pin Cushions

2010-11-29T20:29:00.001-06:00

I have been playing with felting more wool lately. I recently made a trip to some thrift stores and bought some old wool sweaters and blazers. The sweaters took about 3 good wash cycles in hot water to get them to fully felt and boy was that crazy. I will have to post more on that later and take before and after photos. It is a sight to behold a man's XXL 100% wool sweater becoming a child's size garment. Of course by the time it is that size it the wool is so thick and dense that a kid wouldn't be able to put his or her arms down!

For the wool blazers I had to cut them apart first before felting. They too shrunk, but the effect wasn't as dramatic since they were just strips of fabric. One of the blazers (the red fabric in the photos) was already made of felted wool so I didn't run it through the washing machine. I used this felt to make pin cushions. I found the pattern on Etsy and decided to give it a try. I am not the best at sewing or decorative stitching, but I thought they turned out fairly well. The later ones definitely turned out better.

They range in size from 2.5" to 4.5" in diameter.

I am excited to try some more. While I have plenty of the three fabrics left I really want to find some more colors. While searching for buttons at my grandmother's I found a few scraps of old wool. I am going to try to felt it (hopefully it isn't too moth eaten) and make a special one out of it including a button from her button box. That one will definitely be a keeper. The other ones I will probably give away as little favor/gifts. I mean, how many pin cushions does one person need? Of course how many baskets does one person need? But, that has stopped me from hording those!

St. Louis Post Dispatch - local basket maker feature

2010-11-10T18:55:00.000-06:00

This article recently ran in the local news paper. Mary Makuta took that first Shaker basket class here at my house at one of the workshops I host. Since then she has taken almost 20 classes from my guest instructors.

Made in St. Louis: Mary Makuta
BY KAREN DEER
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Mary Makuta from Ballwin displays
some of her basket creations
Wednesday afternoon.
• How did it start? I was taught crochet and hand embroidery when I was 10 years old. By 13, I was designing and sewing my own clothing. Later, I began making my own draperies and becoming acquainted with fiber arts. In 1992, I became a porcelain doll artist. Years later, I created totes and handbags made of natural fibers. In 2004, I was introduced to the lost art of Shaker basketry. I attended a class taught by a well-known artist, Martha Wetherbee, who has devoted her life to preserving the art of Shaker basketry and other American 'signature style" baskets such as the Nantucket lightship basket. During the class, I created a small basket and fell in love with the wood. It's like satin.

• What is a Shaker basket? The basketry originated in the 1700s in New England. Most consumers are familiar with Shaker furniture. It's very valuable. The Shakers of New England made outstanding fine arts such as furniture and baskets. A Shaker basket is made from the black ash tree grown in New England. To create a basket, the tree is cut down, hand-pounded, stripped, split and sanded.

• What are your prices? My Shaker baskets start at $100 for a 5-inch basket, which is made of all wood. I also sell Nantucket baskets. Prices start at $75 for a Nantucket penny basket and up to $750 for a 13-inch Nantucket tote.

• What else do you make? I create a hybrid purse made of ash or it can be made of cane. It's created the same way the Shakers prepared their ash 200 years ago. My hybrid purses start at $275. Some of my purse lids feature learned marquetry, an inlaid wood. They start at $500.

• How long does it take to make one basket? It takes a month because of the carpentry process and the wood finish process. I also design a liner for the basket made of silk or wool.

• Do you teach basketry classes? Yes. I have a workshop in my home, and my students choose an item to work on. I'm there to guide them through the process.

2010 JoAnn Kelly Catsos Worshop

2010-10-27T21:40:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe JoAnn's workshop was already a few weeks ago? October has just flown by and I have been sooooooo bad about updating my blog.

Well I finally got some photos from class up on my JASkets facebook page. If you aren't a fan you should become one. You can keep updated on my day to day activities. It was fun posting pics live from class with my new iPhone. My camera still takes better photos and some are below. JoAnn taught a cute little 1/2 scale Shaker knife basket and a 6" Shaker quadrafoil woven with super fine splints.

Recent Works: Aaron Yakin and Cynthia Taylor

2010-10-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

September 18 – November 27
Balcony Gallery
The Bascom
P.O. Box 766
Highlands NC 28741

Egg Basket with Side Handles, #98-18

15" x 13" x 6"

Cynthia Taylor

(From my personal collection)

Take a glimpse into the current work of artists from The Bascom collection. Masters of tradition, West Virginia basketmakers Aaron Yakim and Cynthia Taylor make traditional Appalachian white oak baskets straight from the tree.

The Bascom is an arts education center and tourist destination serving audiences in Western North Carolina and beyond with unique cultural experiences. Discover free-admission art exhibitions, plus skills-building studio art classes, curatorial talks and multiple-day festivals. Completed in 2009, The Bascom’s six-building, six-acre campus offers pastoral grounds, panoramic views of the Nantahala National Forest and spectacular architecture, such as an early 1800s covered bridge; vintage-wood pottery barn; and a main building constructed of barns, glass and steel. Amenities include a pet-friendly nature trail, seasonal Cafe and Shop, and limestone terrace for venue rentals.

Kentucky Egg Basket

13" x 9"

Aaron Yakim

(From my personal collection)

Finishes on Baskets

2010-09-12T18:56:00.008-05:00

Below are a couple of responses I posted in Weaver's Words when the question was posted concerning applying finishes to baskets.

Weaver's Words - March 25, 2007

Tung Oil as a stain - Tung oil is a sealant and not a stain. It is going to seal the fibers of your basket and make the weaving rigid. If you are making a Nantucket style basket then this is fine, but for use on a reed, oak, willow, ash basket it is not advisable. You could use it on a wooden handle or base, but I wouldn't use it on the weaving. If you want to darken or color your basket I would suggest using Minwax brand wood stains diluted with mineral spirits or turpentine. [As] most weaving materials are going to absorb stains very quickly, you will get too dark of a color if undiluted. You can also stain your baskets with a number of natural stains like very strong tea or coffee.

Some basket stains may say they contain tung oil, but it is very diluted and if colored must includes some kind of pigment as tung oil itself is basically clear.

Weaver's Words - June 23, 2008

Lacquer on baskets - Unless you are making a Nantucket basket or traditional raffia stitched coiled pine needle basket I would never apply a lacquer, varnish or polyurethane to the weaving of a basket. If you want to apply a finish to the handle or a solid wood base that is fine, but the weaving needs to be able to breath and flex.

The wood in furniture is also affected by humidity and fine woodworkers take that into account when connecting certain pieces together. Many joints are held together only on three sides to allow for this expansion and contraction. With a woven basket you have hundreds if not thousands of points of contact between thin pieces of wood and each one of those needs to be able to move.

Now concerning dirt and finger prints you are going to get different opinions, but this is what gives antique baskets that wonderful dark color which antique dealers love to call patina. I love when I set a new basket up next to a 10 year old or even 5 year old basket, [with time they] just develop the most beautiful color and the ones that are used and handled often even more so. So, in general for cabinetry and furniture finishes are great, but for baskets (except in a few odd exceptions) they are a no-no.

Greatest discovery ever!

2010-08-29T13:21:00.002-05:00

OK, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but it the greatest stain fighting discovery I have come across in a very long time. You know those little rust colored mildew spots you get on your clothes sometimes? My mother always told me that they come from something wet in the laundry basket (see I was at least able to work one basket reference into this post) laying up against other clothes. Since these very often appear on my sweaty gym clothes I think there must be something to this explanation. Anyway, I was reading on Yahoo News the other day about 101 uses for salt and on the list was how to remove mildew stains. Well I thought it was too good to be true, but thought I had nothing to lose as I was going to have to throw away one of my stained favorite white ringer t-shirts anyway. I had already tried bleach and OxyClean with no success. The article said that all you had to do was wet the spot with lemon juice, add salt and lay out the item in the sun.

Well I was motivated one evening to try this so dug out my t-shirt, plastic lemon from the fridge and the Morton's salt. After two applications of the salt and lemon the stain was significantly lighter and if the spot hadn't be right in the middle of my chest I probably would have worn the shirt as it was. So today I thought I would give it one more shot and follow all the instructions and lay the shirt in the sun. And wouldn't you know it (or maybe not since this was news to me) after about an hour or so in the sun the lemon/salt patch was dry and the spot was completely gone!

I am laundering the shirt as I type this, but when I checked it before putting the load in the dryer the stain had in fact been removed. I am simply amazed. I wish I had all the clothes I have thrown away over the years back. I wish I would have taken before and after photos, but I think I have another shirt to try it on.

• UPDATE •

I just treated another shirt and I took photos this time.

After a couple hours in the sun the salt is dry and the stain is gone. There is a touch of discoloration from the lemon juice, but that will wash right out.

Peggie Wilcox Class

2010-08-15T20:34:00.000-05:00

This year at the Missouri Basketweavers Guild convention, Weaving MO Madness, I was fortunate enough to take a class on the last day with Peggie Wilcox (pictured above). Peggie works with all kinds of natural fibers, many of which she collects and processes herself, including cedar, Siberian iris leaves and madden head fern. While I used to twine quite a bit when I first started basket weaving, I haven't in quite a while and I really hadn't used materials like these.

The cedar uprights were so interesting to work with. They were surprisingly strong and supple. We split the 4" long Siberian iris leaves in two with a needle and used those to do the twining and three-rod wale.

My favorite part of this basket is the star-shaped or "mad weave" start. I will definitely have to try that again on some project.

The finished basket is about 3" in diameter and 1" deep. I didn't do as nice of a job on the rim as I would like to have. It is a bit wavy. I could have pulled it much much tighter as the cedar bark is very strong. The black band around the middle is maidenhead fern (or possibly maidenhair fern).

Hand Stamped Coasters

2010-08-01T08:56:00.000-05:00

I started making these on a whim about three months ago. The first ones were on basic ceramic tiles that I had left over from an old stamping project, then I found some great tumbled marble tiles at a surplus outlet (I bought all they had and of course they have never gotten any more in) and now I am making them on limestone tiles. I really like the new tiles, but unfortunately they cost twice as much as the marble or ceramic so I have had to raise my prices a bit.

I use StazOn solvent-based ink pads so they are water proof and durable. I tried to clean off a mistake and was never able to complete get it off of these tiles even after using paint thinner. I recommend that they only clean them with water though, just to be on the safe side.

I will be offering these, along with a variety of other basketry related items, including my weaving stands, at the Missouri Basketweavers Guild Convention next week, Thursday, August 5 to Saturday, August 7, 2010. On Sunday I am actually taking a class with Peggy Wilcox, so am very excited.

Westfall Basket

2010-07-24T13:30:00.001-05:00

My parents and I have been collecting these Missouri made baskets for 25 years now. They are made by the Westfall family and are on at least their 5th generation of white oak basket making. All of their baskets are constructed using a very unique style of ribbed construction. They use a combination of what they call "long spokes" and "short spokes". If you notice in the photo they do not use a typical Appalachian "ear" or god's eye where sharpened spokes are inserted at the junction of the rim and handle. They use long round spokes that are bound to the frame as the first rows of weaving are began. These oval baskets are relatively easy to find as are the round baskets they made all in different standardized sizes. This 12" x 18" x 14" tall basket would have been called a "1/2 bushel oblong".

2010 JoAnn Kelly Catsos Worshop

2010-07-18T08:51:00.006-05:00

I am very excited to again be able to offer two exciting classes with JoAnn Kelly Catsos of Ashley Falls, MA. JoAnn has won numerous awards for her beautiful black ash baskets and in 1999 she was asked to weave an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree. She also was one of the first to receive the Certificate of Excellence Level I Basketmaking from the Handweavers Guild of America. JoAnn and her husband Steve produce all the weaving materials, hardwood rims and handles, and molds themselves. I hope you can join JoAnn and me for this exciting and fun workshop.

Saturday - Monday, October 16, 17, 18, 2010

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Half-Size Shaker Knife
4" long x 3" tall

The small Shaker knife basket is a half-size replica of JoAnn’s classic 8" knife basket. This classic Shaker icon will be a great additional to your collection.

Quadrafoil Tub
6" dia. x 2.5" deep

This Shaker quadrafoil tub is based upon an antique Shaker tub at the Shaker Museum in Chatham, NY. The small stakes (3/32") and even smaller weavers (50/1000" and 1/16"), combined with the quadrafoil twill, makes this a challenging basket (but worth the effort).

Instructor: JoAnn Kelly Catsos
$280

PLEASE NOTE

This is a three day advanced workshop

with quadrafoil twill experience necessary.

Both baskets are included in the workshop.

Contact: Tony Stubblefield
if you would like to receive registration information

Mystery Basket

2010-07-10T10:39:00.001-05:00

13.75" dia. x 17.5" tall with handle

Does anyone know anything about this basket? It is one I have had in my collections for quite awhile now, but I know nothing of its origin. I have only ever seen one or two others like it or of the same construction style. It is woven of brow ash, but I am not sure what the rims, handles or base are made of. I have been told that the base is of basswood, but I am not sure if it is like a Nantucket base and had a groove in it for the staves or if it is two pieces of wood sandwiched together with the ribs in between.

It has a distinctive handle and ear attachment with the brass pin going all the way through the ear and side of the basket. The pin or rivet is peened over a washer on the inside. The handle is not really shaped much in profile, it is basically just a heavy split stick with the edges slightly knocked off, top and bottom.

The base has two channels cute a right-angles to accept "ribs" or "splines" that run up the sides of the basket. The ribs are tucked into the weaving and nailed in place. Again the pins go all the way through the body of the basket, but this time are just bent over on the inside. Notice too that the weaving is graduated in size with smaller weavers at the base and wider ones for the top half.

One of these days I am going to try my hand at making a reproduction of this basket in maybe a smaller size. As always, there are too many baskets to make and not enough time.

2009 JoAnn Kelly Catsos Worshop Photos

2010-07-04T16:38:00.001-05:00

Well it only took me a year, but I finally have the photos from last year's workshop with JoAnn Kelly Catsos posted on my website. It is always so much fun to go through the photos and remember all the good times we had. I can't believe that was almost a year ago now. This year's workshop will be in October and I will post details about it in a few weeks. Until then you can relive some of the fun of past year's classes.

Martha Wetherbee Workshop 2010

2010-06-28T21:36:00.000-05:00

So how in the world did another year go by so quickly. It just seemed like the 2009 workshop just happened and now this year's has already wrapped. Well even though the class maybe over the memories and the baskets will live on in our hearts for years and years to come. Everyone made beautiful baskets, ranging in size from less than 2" in diameter to over 19"! The baskets I made this year were on the smaller end of the scale, ranging from 4" to 6".

One of the more interesting baskets that I made this year was a small Bushwhacker friendship basket. I have a couple full-sized antique versions in my collection and Martha challenged me to figure out how to make one. She had always wanted to make one, but as so often is the case just never set aside the time to do it. So, we figured out what materials we should use and off I went with my antique basket to reproduce something that was woven almost 100 years ago. The hardest part was making the rims since we didn't have any the appropriate size. I happened to have some white oak which I was able to steam, bend and shape into something that looked pretty much like the original. Both Martha and I were happy with the way it turned out and she is now excited and motivated to someday add this basket to her teaching schedule.

Just 365 days until the next workshop...

Kittenhead Felted Wool Pin Cushions

2010-06-19T16:50:00.000-05:00

1" to 2.5" dia. brown ash kittenhead baskets with sawtooth edge and felted wool pin cushion

A friend of mine got me into wet felting awhile back. She was making beads for bracelets and necklaces and they turned out really well. I thought it was such a cool technique, but I really didn't know what I was going to do with it though. Then I made a 2.5" kittenhead basket with a sawtooth rim and new I had found the perfect use for new found craft.

I have ended up using a combination of needle and wet felting to make these pin cushions. After making a core of plain wool I then add a layer of space dyed wool which I tack down with a felting needle. This makes the wet felting step a bit easier as I don't have to worry about my final layer shifting around on me too much. Of course judging the final size is a bit of a trick as the volume of wool reduces dramatically as it felts together.

Another New Shelf

2010-06-04T19:31:00.000-05:00

I have had this shelf for awhile now and am finally getting it up. I was also able to get some baskets out of storage that I hadn't been able to display for lack of space. These are more of my collection of strawberry baskets and other Native American curlicue baskets. The are all woven of brown ash with sweetgrass accents and a few include some braided Hong Kong grass.

For once though it would be nice to put up some shelves and have some space left over to grow...

John C. Campbell Folk School, 2010

2010-05-25T22:01:00.002-05:00

If you have never gone to the John C. Campbell Folk School then go sign up for a class today! You will not be disappointed. This was my fourth time to the folk school and I am already looking forward to next year. My class was taught by JoAnn and Steve Catsos, black ash masters. JoAnn and Steve make all of their own molds, handles, rims and splints, but this time we got our turn to make our own materials (at least partially) ourselves.

This one one of the many beautiful views I had on my drive through Tennessee

From St. Louis you end up drive along the Ocoee river, which in the warm month is flowing with rapids. The road is a bit winding, but as long as it is light out and not icy it is a fun drive.

I usually choose the dorm room option as it is the most economical and it saves more money to buy things! It is also nice as you get a chance to meet some of the many other like minded crafts people. There are all levels of accommodations at the Folk School, from the rustic (like the dorm room above in the Keith House) to the brand new posh single and double rooms.

These are some of the basic tools we used to process the black ash log into splints for weaving.

Steve gets us started by splitting the log in half with wedges. The log is then halved again into quarters, then split into billets which we then set to work on with the draw knife and the mallets.

Since the log was just cut a week or so before class the sap was still rising so JoAnn and Steve were able to peel the bark off in one big sheet. We were then able to play around and fold it into buckets to be stitched with elm bark. I had never tried anything like that before and it was so cool. I thought it was wild to just be able to bend the bark like it was a big sheet of paper, but the stitching with elm bark was even better. The elm was like working with leather lacing, it was so strong and flexible I couldn't believe it.

After a quick pounding demonstration, which Steve made look much easier than it was, he demonstrated splitting the single growth ring in half to reveal the beautiful satin surface. Here Steve is using a splint chute to help with the splitting.

Here is my billet all ready for me to start pounding, but before I could do that I had to clean up the edges a bit on the shaving horse with a draw knife.

And so the pounding begins and continues and continues. While it did take hundreds of hits it was so rewarding as the rings began to separate and fortunately every layer was that much easier to peel apart.

Here is my pile of splints. They were thick enough I could have easily split them to satin and maybe even a few to double satin, but for the basket I was making I needed extra heavy splints so I left them as they were.

The scraping actually was more work than the pounding as you had to measure the thickness along the length of the splint with a micrometer to make sure it was consistent from end to end and was consistent from piece to piece.

After the splints were scraped to the desirable thickness it was time to cut them into weavers and uprights. Here Steve demonstrates using a bank of knives to cut multiple weavers from a single length of splint.

The grounds of the Folk School are so picturesque. In a small tree right next to the front porch of the cafeteria was a next of baby robins. We checked on them everyday at every meal, you just couldn't help it.

After all the prep work the actual weaving of the basket went pretty quickly. I brought my own mold so made the handle and rims ahead of time. This was a "bump bottom" puzzle mold that I have had for a while, but had never woven on. It is about 10" in diameter and the largest in a nesting set of 4.

Here is the happy class with our completed baskets. Most people were able to finish at least a couple baskets during the week and went home with a nice stash of splint.

One of the cool things they do at the Folk School is to have a show on the last day so can see all the work that has been done in the various classes. These are the three baskets and the bark "bucket" I made. Normally they give you little slips of paper to write your name on, but Steve thought those were too pedestrian so he made us each a brown ash tag in a white ash hold. Now how cute is that?

Linda and her Mt. Lebanon carrier, lidded knife and mini black ash bark bucket.

Joanne and her Mt. Lebanon carrier and big black ash bark bucket.

This is what the inside of my basket looks like. It has a double bottom, kicked up in the middle. You can't see it in the photo, but there is the traditional Bushwhacker "knot" in the bottom.

Here are some of the incredibly intricate turnings that were done in the wood turning class. Yes, those are real sea urchins used to make the Christmas tree ornaments.

These chairs were made in the wood working class in the studio next to ours. The one in the center was the instructor's sample. The students in the class did and incredible job which they should be very proud of.

If this final image doesn't convince you of the splendor of the John C. Campbell Folk School then nothing will. Can you just imagine waking up to that every morning? At least I got to do it for a week.

Getting Ready for John C. Campbell

2010-05-11T19:28:00.001-05:00

I am getting ready to head down to the John C. Campbell Folk School and another exciting class with JoAnn Kelly Catsos. This time we are going to be processing our own ash splint for our baskets. I have done a little of this, but never enough for an entire basket. I am bringing two of my own molds so am making my own handles and rims. It has been awhile since I bent my own stock so I had to get my bending station set back up in the basement. Once I get everything set up I usually bend a bunch of stuff up, so I am making a few extra sets to have on hand.

Here are the rims and handles bent around the jigs I especially made for this basket. This is going to be a swing handle so I still need to make the ears.

I will take more photos while I am at the folk school and post those when I get back so you can see how everything turned out. This is the first time I have gone to the Folk School when it wasn't in the middle of winter so I am excited to see the mountains in bloom.

I finished some baskets!

2010-05-02T21:48:00.000-05:00

OK, most people assume that I weave all the time. In reality I weave very infrequently, which is unfortunate. When I do weave though I tend to weave a lot, but finding the time is always the challenge. As I am sure you are well aware of, life just gets in the way of your fun.

When I was vending at the State Line Friends Retreat I was a weaving fool. I was demonstrating using my weaving stands so got four basket bodies woven. I also bought a waxed linen and cotton twining kit from Judy Wilson. I have always admired Judy's baskets and kits, but just never got around to picking one from the myriad of designs she has. I used to twine a lot way back when, but haven't in years so was excited to give it a try again.

Northwest Coast

I learned a number of things when working on this basket. For starters I twine "backwards" to the way Judy teaches. When I learned back in college from Maxine Kirmeyer (who unfortunately passed away this past September) she had us to twist counter clockwise or the way you would turn a screw to tighten it. I realized I wasn't twining the way Judy did when my spirals were going in the opposite direction. But, it didn't really matter all that much other than I probably wasn't ending the way she would have liked for me to. The other thing I learned is that I twine VERY TIGHTLY! My basket is about 2/3rds the size of the sample basket. Next time I will know, but once you start down that road there is no turning back unless you want a crazy hour-glass shaped basket. All in all I was happy with the way the basket turned out and it is currently displayed on my mantle.

Cottage Cruet and Cottage Mail

The other two baskets that I finished from the retreat were two kits from Eric Taylor. These baskets are woven of hand pounded black ash with cherry handles and rims. Eric's baskets are a hybrid between Nantucket and Shaker baskets giving them a contemporary feel. These are both duplicate baskets for me so I will have to decide if I will sell them or save them for gifts.

So, three baskets completed on my own in a months time is really great. Of course I still have the other two Nantucket basket bodies I wove at convention to complete plus I have the three baskets from last years retreat to finish! Too many baskets and not enough time. I guess it could be worse...

Did you know?

2010-04-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

That the word “basket” comes from the Welsh “basgawd” meaning “a weaving of sticks.”

Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat

2010-04-24T08:23:00.000-05:00

Last week was the fabulous Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat in Richmond, IN. This was my second year having a vending booth there. While I didn't sell as much as I wanted I had a great time and got a lot of weaving done. I will have to post some photos of the baskets later (when I complete them!). I don't sell a lot of different items. They are just some of the specialty tools that I use that are either hard to find or that I make myself.

I brought with me, hand stamped cards, basketmaker's oil, padded aluminum push pins, miniature cable ties (the smallest you will ever see), MoldBand (a great alternative to rubber bands for holding down staves to a mold), Handle Minders (a special tool I created to help with perfect handle placement on a Nantucket or other baskets), basket easels, glass display domes and risers, and some new hand stamped tile coasters. Of course I also featured my special floor weaving stands.

This year was the largest group they have had at the retreat with I think about 350 weavers and a couple dozen vendors, teachers and volunteers. This was only their fifth year and they just do an incredible job of running the event. I am already looking forward to next year and may even apply to teach a class (Eeeek, I am scared!).

All the classes are held in one large open room with the vendors lining the outside walls. As a vendor it is great as I get to see everything that is going on and get to see all the great baskets as they are woven. Fred Kohler had his work table set up next to me and we had a great time chatting and discussing Nantucket baskets. I also got to visit with many other weaving buddies during the 3-day event.

Now back to finishing those baskets!

One Year Anniversary!

2010-04-24T07:49:00.000-05:00

Shoot, I missed my one year anniversary of blogging. I can't believe I have already been doing this for a year. My original goal was to post something once a week, but I didn't make it. Though 43 posts isn't too bad, pretty close to 4 posts a month.

Thanks for all the positive feedback and words of encouragement throughout the year!

Shaker Boxes

2010-04-20T14:08:00.001-05:00

Not only do I love baskets, but I also love Shaker boxes. I have a number of finely made boxes that I have purchased at art fairs. I would love to make a set myself and keep promising that I will take a workshop sometime from the "father" of modern Shaker boxes, John Wilson. Of course my schedule has yet to match up with one of his classes, but one of these days...

I ran across this blog describing a woodworking group that gets together every year to make the boxes. It is a good primer on the steps it takes to make a box and a handled carrier. While box making would seem to be fairly different from basket weaving they do share a number of similarities. They both utilize bending and drying wood around forms. Much of what you would learn in a box class could be translated into making basket rims and handles or vice versa.

Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat

2010-04-11T21:49:00.002-05:00

I have be busily preparing to vend next week at the Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat. I am such a terrible procrastinator, but think I am about ready to go. If you haven't been before the retreat is a great experience. It is in a small town on the boarder between Indiana and Ohio, in Richmond, IN and runs Thursday, April 15th until Saturday, April 17th. I will be vending all three days so be sure to stop by and say "hi". There will be a bunch of other vendors as well so you should be in for a real treat even if you are only coming to shop. If you are lucky enough to be taking classes, you are in for a treat.

OK, I have to get back to work now. Hope to see you next week!

2010 Martha Wetherbee Workshop

2010-04-09T16:29:00.004-05:00

I am very excited to announce that I will again host 2 very special classes with Martha Wetherbee this year. For over 30 years Martha Wetherbee has devoted her life to preserving the art of Shaker basketry and other American "signature style" baskets such as the Nantucket lightship basket. Credited with rescuing the art of Shaker basketmaking from extinction, Martha travels the country lecturing on the history of the Shakers and teaching others how to create these historically significant and beautiful baskets. I hope you can join Martha and me for one or both of these exciting and fun classes.

Nantucket Signature Basket
2" to 16" dia.

Thursday, Friday & Saturday
June 24-26, 2010
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Join Martha to start or add to a set of nested Nantucket baskets. New participants will start with the #10 (10" diameter) basket. Weavers who have completed the #10, #12 and #14 will have their choice of either the #6 or #8 and when feeling ambitious can make the #4 or #16 and finish with the #2 and #0. All baskets feature a cherry handle, rim and base, staves of hand pounded brown ash, and cane weaving. The beautiful handles are attached with a "hidden hinge" and unique cherry "ear" which sports a marquetry of contrasting wood where the basketmaker can put his or her monogram, hence the "signature" basket. Class fee includes all materials, handouts and use of mold, weaving stand and tools.

Instructor: Martha Wetherbee
Intermediate/Advanced Weaving Levels

#0 (2") - $290#2 (3") - $360#4 - $395#6 - $420
#8 - $450#10 - $475#12 - $525#14 - $565#16 - $610

Bushwhacker Basket
#3 (4" diam.)

Saturday, June 26, 2010
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
&
Sunday, June 27, 2010
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

#3 (4") Bushwhacker basket in fron of past year's #5 and #7.

A basket style made in west Taghkanic, New York, commonly referred to as "Bushwhacker" is an example of an American Signature basket design, as unique as the more-recognizable Shaker or Nantucket style. While researching the Shaker baskets, Martha found that the Bushwhacker baskets were made by three families of basket makers living in Columbia County, New York, just 25 miles from the Mt. Lebanon Shaker village. Made from hand-pounded brown ash, this swing-handled (or side ear-handled) basket has a bump bottom and is shaped over a series of molds. The class fee includes all materials, handouts and use of mold, weaving stand and tools.

Instructor: Martha Wetherbee
All Weaving Levels
$185

(during the class students will have the choice of either a swing-handle or side ear-handles)

Contact: Tony Stubblefield
if you would like to receive registration information

Weaving Stands

2010-03-25T20:27:00.000-05:00

I have been busy lately building more of my weaving stands. I had sold out before Christmas, which I told myself I would not let happen and of course received two back to back orders. I had to even end up selling the new stand I had made for myself!

Here is a corner of my wood working shop. I have 24 stands in process, normally they are in all different stages, but this time I am moving all of them through at the same time. I am going to be vending at the Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat this April 15th, 16th and 17th. Last year I sold out on the first day, so I want to have plenty to take with me.

One of the three stands that I do have completed, setup and ready to go. I wove the basket on the stand at the last Stateline retreat, so I guess I had better get it finished up!

If you have never seen one of my stands in action they are custom made by me and are perfect for weaving on a mold if you don't have a table to clamp a stand to or simply want to be portable (they are great for weaving in front of the TV with). Visit my website for more details and to download an order form.

Leon Niehues

2010-03-10T16:54:00.006-06:00

Leon Niehues is a contemporary white oak basketmaker from Huntsville, Arkansas. I have been fortunate to meet Leon a number of times at the St. Louis Art Fair and during one of those visits I purchased this magnificent basket.

White Oak Basket by Leon Niehues

8" x 8.5"

Leon is featured in ionART–Art and Culture Magazine. Also you can visit his personal website to see more of his work. Leon has a distinctive style that mixes traditional techniques and materials with contemporary forms and embellishments.

Tips for saving your finger nails

2010-03-07T16:44:00.002-06:00

I swear by a product called "Nail Envy" by OPI. It is a nail polish that is clear and super strong. According to the instructions, you are to put two coats on the first time and then one additional coat each day for a week. From experience though, after having your hands in water, etc., that many coats ends up looking pretty crappie and yellowed. I usually do the first double coat two days before class and then one coat the day before. If I need to touch up any chips I just reapply as needed. I usually only have to add more coats on my index and middle fingers as those are the ones that do the work and take the beating. If you are taking a full week of class I have about half-way though wiped my nails with polish remover which smoothes the Nail Envy and makes your nails look presentable again,. You can then add a fresh coat once the smoothed polish dries. Ever since I started using this stuff I have not had any sever problems with my nails breaking or chipping. You still might get a little chip here or there, but if you apply the Nail Envy it will keep it from getting progressively worse. Of course as a male I get funny looks when I go into the beauty supply store and ask where the nail polish is. They make a "matte" finish and it does look very natural, but as soon as you touch it is shiny, so I don't know why they even bother. I used to try to clean it all off after the class is over, but it is so tough that it takes forever to get it all off with acetone, so now, since it is clear anyway I just let it wear off.

Newly Aquired Bushwhacker Basket

2010-02-27T08:16:00.005-06:00

Bushwhacker Basket

5.5" dia. x 3" high (w/o handles)

I was very excited to find this sweet little Bushwhacker or Taghkanic basket. The basket is woven of hand pounded brown ash with rims and handles of ash, oak or hickory. The Bushwhackers used whatever wood was available for rims and handles so it makes it hard to know exactly what wood was used. I can't really see any grain pattern so I doubt they are oak though.

Identifying Bushwhacker baskets is actually relatively easy. For one thing they just have a "look" about them. Even from the above photo I was 95% sure it was a Bushwhacker. The hand carved handles have a chunky shoulder and notch and the rims are squatty, but thick. The rims are also double lashed, while many basket makers did this all Bushwhacker baskets will have this. These baskets were often confused with Shaker baskets and in fact this basket was being sold as being possibly Shaker. But, unlike most typical Shaker basket which feature a square bottom most typical Bushwhacker baskets feature a round bottom.

The one feature or signature of a Bushwhacker is the unique "knot" found in the bottom of the basket. All round bottom Bushwhacker basket will have one of these (unless it has broken off with age). This is the point were the weaver flipped the basket over and began weaving in the opposite direction.

Missouri Basketweavers Guild Convention

2010-02-22T19:23:00.005-06:00

19th Annual Convention
August 5-8, 2010
Holiday Inn/Southwest, Viking Conference Center
St. Louis, Missouri 63127

I am posting this information for a couple of reasons:

I am a member of the Missouri Basketweavers Guild and want to support it.
I am on this years convention planning committee
I will be vending this year (and maybe taking a class if I can swing it)
and
I designed the above logo!

So join us August, 5-8, 2010 in St. Louis for “Weaving MO Madness”. Be sure to mark the dates on your calendar. You don’t want to miss this great weaving event in Missouri. The convention will be held at the Holiday Inn Viking Center at Lindbergh and Watson Road in St. Louis. Please contact the hotel for reservations by calling (314) 821-6600 or 1 (800) 682-6338 and identify yourself as part of the MBG Convention to obtain the special rate of $84.00 per night.

The convention brochure will be mailed to MBG members early March.

You must be a member to attend the convention, but that is easy enough and you can find membership information here. But, if you just want to shop with the vendors anyone can do that, so be sure to stop by to see me.

I will post more as the convention approaches.

Martha Wetherbee Workshop 2009 Photos

2010-02-20T20:29:00.000-06:00

Well it only took me 8 months, but I finally have the class photos page up on my website from last summer's Martha Wetherbee workshop. It always seems to take me forever to put these together, but it is always so much fun to look back at the good times we had in the classes. I am putting together the information for next year's classes so watch for that soon too. If you are interest in taking one of these classes be sure to email me.

Follow my JASkets blog

2010-01-31T09:48:00.000-06:00

Did you know you can "follow" my blog? It is easy to do and is great for keeping up with any new postings on your favorite Blogger members.

Here is all you have to do:

First click on the "Follow" link on the right side of the screen. Sign into your Google, Twitter, Yahoo! or a number of other accounts. You will then be asked how you'd like to follow the blog (either public or private), and then finish up by clicking the "Follow this blog" button. It is that simple, you are now a follower of my blog! If you elected to follow the blog publicly, your profile picture will be displayed on the blog with a link to your Blogger profile. When you become a follower, the blog will also be added to your Reading List on your Blogger dashboard. Additionally, you can become a follower of any blog or URL (even if the blog doesn't have the Followers widget) by adding the blog to your Reading List on the dashboard.

I use my reading list on my Blogger dashboard daily to see who has posted something new. While everyone I follow doesn't publish something everyday there is usually at least one new post to read.

So, "follow me" today!

Basket Photography

2010-01-18T19:57:00.003-06:00

I have been taking photos of my baskets since I first started weaving. Fortunately not only my weaving, but my photography skills have improved over the years. Photographing your work is a great idea for a number of reasons. First of all it documents your work and your progress. There is nothing more humbling and gratifying than to look at photos of your early baskets. Often times you don't even realize how much your work has improved over the years. Also photographing your work is important for building up a portfolio if you would ever like to approach a shop to teach or sell your work. It is much easier to carry around a photo album than a bunch of baskets to a meeting. Good quality photos are also important when you want to start marketing your work to potential buyers or students.

Here is one of my early photos. It displays a number of common product photo errors. Unlike a nice snapshot of a Sunday family picnic, you want only your basket to be the focus of attention. In this example it is hard to tell which basket you are supposed to look at let alone if you supposed to be looking at a photo of an antique quilt. So lesson one, a plain background is best and one or two baskets is probably best unless it is a set and then you have to be mindful of how you arrange the baskets.

I kept seeing professional basket photos that looked great, but it took awhile before I finally figured out why they were better than what I was getting back from the One Hour Photo (remember the days of film cameras). I finally realized that a plain background was going to get me one step closer to my goals. At first I had a big piece of neutral colored fabric that I would use as a backdrop, but that was a tad bit cumbersome to get setup. I was also limited to shooting indoors and my camera flash gave me terribly harsh shadows.

I eventually switched to a white paper background that was convenient to take outside and clip to the chain link fence. A nice slightly overcast day gave me the perfect shadows, but usually also meant rain was on its way so my photo shoots would often be abruptly cut short. A nice bright sunny day would work if there were big puffy clouds floating by. Unfortunately waiting for that perfect cloud to pass over the sun was a test of patience. Also my window of sun angle was only a couple hours a day, so trying to find the perfect weather on a free day around 1pm was not very easy.

Finally I set up a little photo studio in the basement that was relatively portable so it could be taken down and put up as needed. Wow, not being tied to the weather or time of day was soooooo nice. It was also much easier to shuttle baskets up and down the stairs instead of out into the yard. A true professional setup would cost a small fortune so I opted for the homemade version. Since I was going to be photographing indoors, no less in the basement, I knew I would have to use artificial lights. From my earlier experiments I knew that a flash wouldn't give me the results I was after. Fortunately from working with professional photographers at my day job I knew that strobes with large "soft boxes" would give me the nice soft light and shadows I desired. Unfortunately after a search on the internet I knew there was no way I could afford the lights let alone the soft boxes. So I dug around some more and found plans for homemade soft boxes, a few sheets of used foamcore board, some duct tape, white banner fabric, halogen work lights and a couple of old camera tripods picked up either out of the trash or at yard sales and I was ready to go. Below is my set up (minus the camera which I was using to take the photo).

To demonstrate why the soft boxes are so important here is what the photo would look like using the built-in camera flash.

While not horrible, the lighting is too harsh and the shadows are hard and don't help give you a sense of the shape of the basket.

The human eye is an incredible organ, it is able to automatically adjust for different levels of light, but did you know it is also able to auto white balance? Actually it is your brain that is doing the white balancing, so that when you look at something you know is supposed to be white your brain automatically adjusts for the color or quality of the light source. Your camera isn't so smart, so that is why under florescent lights people often look greenish or too yellow under regular incandescent bulbs. Case in point this is what my basket looks like under the halogen lights.

If you saw this background in person you would swear it was white, but that is just your fancy eye and brain doing some tricky white balancing.

Though some trial and error I was able to figure out how to manually set the camera to adjust for the color (or temperature in professional terms) of the light. The "tungsten" setting did a pretty good job of balancing the color and a minor adjustment in exposure and this is the resulting photo (my camera remembers my the last manual settings made so I never have to change anything).

This photo is about 75% complete. Since I am such a perfectionist I like to take the photo into Photoshop (thank God for digital photos) and do some minor tweaking. After making the background a bit brighter, cropping a bit tighter and cleaning up the edges of the shadow this is the resulting photo ready for posting on my website or printing in a brochure or flyer.

I know this was a very quick overview and didn't provide a lot of specifics. Also I have a particular style of photo I like, e.g. a basket on a completely white background, but I hope it is an inspiration to make your basket photos the best they can be. The best thing is that most digital cameras today can give you great, near professional quality at a fraction of the cost of a big SLR unit. The camera I currently have is a 7.1 mega pixel Cannon PowerShot SC550, which is basically a point and shoot pocket camera.

Knotted Wax Linen Workshop

2010-01-08T07:17:00.002-06:00

I get asked a lot about my knotted baskets and how someone can learn how to create them. Unfortunately there isn't a book that describes the process (I also get asked to write a book all the time too) and classes/workshops are almost nonexistent. But, I am glad to pass along a workshop I recently ran across being offered July 26-30, 2010, by fiber artist Norman Sherfield at Sierra Nevada College. I am not familiar with this instructor, but I am sure it would be a fun and informative class.

UPDATE

I received a note from Mr. Sherfield (see comments to this post) and he passed on a link to his website. He also has a flickr account with more images of his work.

The Dream Weaving Studio

2010-01-04T07:21:00.002-06:00

Below is my response to Bonnie Krist of Weaver's Words when she asked for suggestions on what a "dream weaving studio" would include. She had a new free standing building so some of these things aren't necessary for a home studio (e.g. hopefully you already have running water in your home!). I have also modified my response a bit as I now have a big table in the middle of my weaving room.

Weaver's Words - February 11, 2008

Bonnie - about setting up a dream weaving studio - First of all congratulations on the beautiful new barn. Wow, what a wonderful blank slate! OK here is my wish list and must haves:
Running water
Double utility sink (a must even if it only has a drain, but no running water)
Small hot water heater (a must if having running water)
Bathroom (a luxury depending on how far the house is)
Lots of shelves (I store most things in clear plastic tubs, but also have lots of books)
Big windows for natural light
Lots of grounded electrical outlets
Overhead florescent work lights with daylight bulbs (I normally am not a fan of florescent light, but got one for my laundry room area of the basement and splurged for daylight bulbs and wow do they produce a lot of nice white light, the fixture cost very little at Home Depot. I am thinking about adding some more to my basement.
Workbench table - at least 6" long, solid wood for strength, multiple ones depending on tools
Folding tables - at least two or three 6" (8" tables are great, but are hard to lug around) (if you can find the old cafeteria style, the particle board kind, instead of the new plastic one I would definitely opt for them. I have the old style and wouldn't trade them for anything for the plastic one. I have used those and they are just too "spongy" and not sturdy enough.)
Comfortable work chairs - at least a couple depending on your workbench layout
Folding chairs - a lot of these if you think you will hold classes or have people over to weave (I have one weaving chair and one stool that stay in my studio all the time, but about 14 folding chairs that move about depending on the folding tables that are set up.
Pegboard wall (I don't have this, but am thinking about putting oneup in my basement.)
Shaker pegboard and shelf running the whole perimeter of the room along with pegs on all the rafters.
Small refrigerator for caffeinated drinks during those marathon weaving sessions
Ott light for small detail work
Goose-neck clamp lights for work table
Hot plate (for heating water if you don't have running water or for dye baths)
Magnetic wall strips (for holding tools for easy access)
OK, now for power tools,

Must have:
Bench top belt sander - I literally travel with mine when I go to classes
Shop vac - set up with sander for dust collection
Jeweler's drill press (from MicroMark)
Dremel tool (cordless)
Basically I could do almost anything with just these basic power tools along with basic hand tools.

Wish list for serious basketmaker who wants to do more woodworking:
(these are things I have had for awhile now)
Band saw
Sheet palm sander (I would almost add this to the MUST HAVE list as it can be used for about anything)
Bench top drill press (You can ad a sanding drum and it is great for sanding handles)
10" disc sander (Another one from MicroMark, variable speed, not much power, but most basketweaving needs are more for a more delicate touch than muscle)
Cordless drill (A good one that will set you back at least $100, if you have to buy a couple of crappy ones over the years you might as well have a good one from the beginning)
(these are things that I recently added)
Sliding compound miter saw (love it, wish I would have had it years ago)
Floor drill press (I only got this because my bench top one was a hand-me-down and had too much play in the head and wouldn't drill a clean hole, I now use the bench top for sanding only)
48" cooper steam tray plus two hot plates (LOVE IT! Since I am bending my own handles and rims now this was a must)
Orbital palm sander
Here are some photos from my basket room, it is about 16" x 14" I think with lots of natural light (though I seem to weave mainly at night).

I have the two chairs at my work table, one at the weaving/sanding  station and the other (actually a stool) at the drilling station.   I now have a large, 5"x6" table in the center of my room that I LOVE. It has storage in the base and can seat eight people comfortably. Basically you will want to set up your room to accommodate the kinds of  baskets you weave. Since I usually only weave baskets that are no  larger than 10" I don't need a lot of table space so dedicate more of  that to my tools, but I do have lots of molds so have a lot (but never  enough it seems) of shelves for those. I also store everything in small  plastic tubs (since again my materials are smaller) and dedicate lots  of shelves to those.   Good luck with your new space, you are going to love it.

These photos are a few years old and it is surprising looking at them now how much my room has changed. I have even more molds now! Apparently I have a serious addiction. Oh well there are worst things to be addicted to than baskets...

Basket Book

2009-12-22T21:05:00.000-06:00

I always give my dad a basket for Christmas and this year will be no different. But, this year I am also giving him an iPhoto book I created with images of many of the Shaker baskets (and a couple Nantucket baskets) I have made over the years. It is kind of a catalog of my work I guess. I included a title of each basket along with the dimensions. I think it turned out pretty well. I had two versions made, one that is pictured here is a hardback version and the one I am giving Dad. The other is paperback and has a die cut in the cover to show the baskets which are on the "fly sheet."

If you haven't used iPhoto (it is a Mac software title) it is pretty cool to use to set up photo books. There are online versions as well, but I am not sure if you have as much control over the images as you do in iPhoto. Of course I am much pickier than your average human being... This book is about 8.5"x11", but you can make a variety of different sizes and layouts. I may make a few smaller books with just one basket per page, but that will have to wait until after the holidays.

2009 Christmas Basket Ornament

2009-12-20T10:30:00.000-06:00

Alice Ogden, 2009 Christmas Ornament, 2.75" dia. x 3.5" h.

I just received my Alice Ogden Christmas ornament. This year's basket is as beautiful as always. 2009's is a round lidded feather basket with captured lid. If you aren't familiar with Alice's work you should definitely visit her website. She prepares all of her own brown ash splints and white oak handles and rims. Her baskets are not only beautiful they are also very reasonably priced, especially if you are looking for larger baskets. Besides all of her annual Christmas baskets I have a number of others of hers in my collection, like a nesting set of 7 miniature swing handled baskets and a Shaker cheese basket. Alice always signs and dates her baskets, but this time she added a number to each basket on a little star-shaped tag of birch bark. I was fortunate enough to receive basket #2!

Of course the basket went immediately on my basket tree I keep up all year in my work room.

Christmas Cards

2009-12-09T10:47:00.002-06:00

For the last quite a few years I have been making my own greeting cards. I now make them for Valentine's Day, Halloween, Thank Yous, Birthdays and of course Christmas. Some years the designs get quite elaborate and end up taking way longer than I thought they would and I am sure longer than the recipients realize. A couple of years ago I decided to do a basket related Christmas card. The year before I had some custom stamps made at Village Impressions of some of my baskets and they turned out so well I made a few more and decided to do some of a basket full of different items, like pine cones, holly leaves and apples (though I screwed up and didn't get the apples made). I wasn't sure what the reaction to the relatively simple (and fast to make) cards featuring a basket of holly leaves would be, since most of my friends are non-basket weavers. Well everyone ended up absolutely loving them. Since it has been a few years I need to come up with a new basket design.

This year's cards are of a snowman (store bought stamp) and I will have to post about it later. I am about finished making them and definitely need to start getting them addressed! I have been home sick the last couple of days with a sinus infection and since sitting up seems to be the most comfortable position to be in I have gotten a few things accomplished. Since I am such a worry wart I have even gotten some Work work done too. Hopefully by tomorrow I will be back to 100%. I have a feeling that the hysteria of Christmas shopping yet completed is about to strike. I can't afford another day of being stuck in the house.

Papeweight Class

2009-11-30T16:15:00.001-06:00

Well I haven't done much (who am I kidding, any) basket weaving lately, but I have still been keeping my crafting skill in practice with other projects. One of the classes I recently took with a couple of friends was a class in making glass paperweights at a local shop, Third Degree Glass Factory. This was just an afternoon class, from 2 to 5pm on a Saturday so it was pretty fast and furious. We did learn a lot, but with only having time to make two paperweights you were just getting the hang of it when it was time to quit. I would love to take another class and if they only had 12 students like they initially said then we would have had time to make three paperweights each.

I was surprised at how much of a team effort the project would be. It really took three people to make each paperweight. The person actually "making" the paperweight pretty much stayed seated while an assistant heated up the glass and helped rotate it while the maker worked it with the various tools. A third person's job was to hold a long wooden paddle under your arm and hand so you wouldn't get burnt from the heat coming off the glass. The first one was kind frightening as you didn't really know what to expect and how the glass was going to behave. Of course the three instructors made everything look so easy. But by the second demonstration and the second paperweight we were feeling so much more confident.

The orange paperweight above on the left is my second one and the one I am much happier with. Both are more lopsided than I expected. Some how I completely didn't notice that when they were being finished up, but the one friend I have spoken too that took the class also commented at how lopsided his were too. I guess it is sort of like pot throwing, once you get past a certain point the shape is set and the only way to change it is to basically start over again. If I take another class I would definitely know more of what to watch for and hopefully how to control it. Unfortunately the class was $95.00 so I will have to see if I get any Christmas money.

While this wasn't fiber related in the least it did get me motivated and excited about weaving again. Sometimes you need a little recharge to get the creative juices going again. It is also fun to do things that are completely outside of your comfort zone sometimes.

November 2009 - National Native American Heritage Month

2009-11-10T10:01:00.007-06:00

I just read this over on Pam Zimmerman's blog, Catching the Moon: Weaving My Life.

Three of the Native American baskets I have in my personal collection.

NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

The indigenous peoples of North America -- the First Americans -- have woven rich and diverse threads into the tapestry of our Nation's heritage. Throughout their long history on this great land, they have faced moments of profound triumph and tragedy alike. During National Native American Heritage Month, we recognize their many accomplishments, contributions, and sacrifices, and we pay tribute to their participation in all aspects of American society.

This month, we celebrate the ancestry and time-honored traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives in North America. They have guided our land stewardship policies, added immeasurably to our cultural heritage, and demonstrated courage in the face of adversity. From the American Revolution to combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, they have fought valiantly in defense of our Nation as dedicated servicemen and women. Their native languages have also played a pivotal role on the battlefield. During World Wars I and II, Native American code talkers developed unbreakable codes to communicate military messages that saved countless lives. Native Americans have distinguished themselves as inventors, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and scholars. Our debt to our First Americans is immense, as is our responsibility to ensure their fair, equal treatment and honor the commitments we made to their forebears.

The Native American community today faces huge challenges that have been ignored by our Government for too long. To help address this disparity, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocates more than $3 billion to help these communities deal with their most pressing needs. In the Fiscal Year 2010 budget, my Administration has proposed over $17 billion for programs carried out by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Service, and other Federal agencies that have a critical role to play in improving the lives of Native Americans. These programs will increase educational opportunities, address the scourge of alcohol abuse and domestic violence, promote economic development, and provide access to comprehensive, accessible, and affordable health care. While funding increases do not make up for past deficiencies, they do reflect our determination to honor tribal sovereignty and ensure continued progress on reservations across America.

As we seek to build on and strengthen our nation-to-nation relationship, my Administration is committed to ensuring tribal communities have a meaningful voice in our national policy debates as we confront the challenges facing all Americans. We will continue this constructive dialogue at the White House Tribal Nations Conference held in Washington, D.C., this month. Native American voices have echoed through the mountains, valleys, and plains of our country for thousands of years, and it is now our time to listen.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2009 as National Native American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to commemorate this month with appropriate programs and activities, and to celebrate November 27, 2009, as Native American Heritage Day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Coiled Zambian Basket

2009-11-04T19:48:00.002-06:00

11" dia. x 11" h w/o handle

This beautiful coiled basket was a gift from my aunt and uncle a few Christmases ago. A coworker of my aunt was going to Africa so she asked her if she would look for a basket for her nephew. The poor woman had to drag the basket all over her vacation, but according to my aunt she took it as a quest and had fun looking for and acquiring the basket. Somewhere I have a photo of her with the basket on safari. I thought it was inside the basket, but it isn't so I will have to track it down.

Here is what the note inside the basket said:

Makenge basket, hand-woven from the roots of the Makenge tree by the women of the Upper Zambezi River region of Zambia. Makenge baskets take about a week each to make and are used to harvest, winnow and store grain. A newlywed bride may be given several baskets by her in-laws, which she will eventually pass down to her children. Makenge baskets are very strong and durable which, if required, can be washed or scrubbed with no ill effect. Colors are obtained by boiling the roots in various barks.

The basket is definitely sturdy and well made. The lid fits on like Tupperware. As with all of my collection the only "use" the basket sees is as an art object. I don't intend to scrub the basket any time soon.

Contemporary Pine Needle Basket

2009-10-18T08:51:00.005-05:00

6" dia. x 6" h.
long leaf pine needles and waxed linen

This is one of the latest pine needle baskets I have made. Well actually, I have only made about a half dozen over the years. I have never really taken a class in it, just someone showed me how to get started and I have been winging it ever since. I learned how to coil without the aid of a gauge, so I have never been able to get the hang of using one. I started this basket telling myself that I would make the whole thing using a gauge, but as you can tell I only got an inch or so before I became too frustrated and went back to my old way of adding my new needles in groups with the end caps showing.

It is hard to tell in this photo, but the opening is actually triangular in shape. I would like to say that I planned that, but it was in fact a happy accident. As I added the needles in three spirals the difference in bulk of the coil caused the opening to deform into a triangular shape. I used the red waxed linen around the lip to accent the contrasting shape.

The pine needles I used for this basket were collected in Oriental, North Carolina. I used to go there to visit my friend and fellow basket weaver Becky to take classes she hosted with nationally renown teachers, such as, Martha Wetherbee, JoAnn Kelly Catsos and Eric Taylor. I was so excited when I first discovered that they had the long leaf pine needles literally laying all over the ground there. Fortunately I discovered a great tree in an open field across from the marina where I would stay. I am sure the neighbors thought I was completely insane watching me carefully pick through pine needles, discarding ones that I deemed inferior. Since they really only used them as mulch I am sure they thought I must be extremely anal retentive if I was that choosy over what needles went around my flowers. Also, the classes were often in the summer and I would gather my needles in the evening after class was over. Oriental is on the coast of North Carolina and they tend to get a lot, I mean A LOT, of mosquitoes. As I would be out crawling around in the grass I would get swarmed and since both hands were occupied with precious long leaf pine needles I would end up using the bundles as a make-shift fly swatter. As I said, I am sure the neighbors already thought I was nuts and the image of me apparently beating myself with pine needles didn't help I am sure.

But in the end I got my pine needles, actually I have a whole Rubbermaid sweater box full of them, and a nice basket out of the adventure. I am working on another basket right now, but it is going very slowly. I need to get back to working on it, but as I am sure you are well aware, stuff just gets in the way of fun.

Basket Collection - followup

2009-10-07T17:18:00.003-05:00

For one of my classes in college I cataloged my Mom and Dad's entire collection, including photos, measurements and any information I had on the basket such as materials, origin and maker. Unfortunately this was all done back in the stone age, e.g. before the days of computers, so all I have are some black and white negatives and a photocopy of the book (the professor insisted on keeping the original). Also many of those baskets they don't even have any more and they have added many many new ones since then.

The thought of redoing the project just makes me tired though. I have some of my personal collection cataloged and they are on my website, but most of the information I have is on the baskets that I have made myself. I have so many Native American baskets that I simply don't know anything about. I should photograph them and add them to my website in the hope that someone will know something about them.

I have an iPhoto book in process of the Shaker baskets I have made and need to get it finished up and printed. Unfortunately it is on a friends MacBook since I have a very old version of iPhoto on my computer. This makes it very hard to work on, but it is one of the things on my very long "to-do" list.

One of these days...

Basket Collection

2009-10-06T20:29:00.004-05:00

(click to enlarge)

Whenever I think I have too many baskets or that my house is being over run, I just have to visit my parents and it puts everything into perspective. My parents have been collection antiques since before they were married. My great grandmother was an antique dealer (I have some pieces from her) and my father grew up with the bug. Before I ever even got into basket weaving we always had a few around the house. You can see one of those baskets in the photo, it is the large round baskets on the third beam from the front and the fourth over from the left. Anyway, once I got interested in basketry back in 1984 when I was still in college, the collection started. The baskets in this photo only represent part of what is even in the room, there are probably about 100 baskets alone just in this one space. There are just as many scattered throughout the rest of the house as well.

It is very inspirational just being in the space. I used to weave many of my first baskets right underneath all of the ones in the photo. I used many of these basket as models that I tried to duplicate as best I could with the materials I had (e.g. reed). I learn so much from studying these old baskets. While I learned from a few basic classes I used that knowledge to explore many different styles and different shapes. I always challenge my students to do the same thing. Why limit yourself to just the one basket you learned in class or have the pattern for when the whole world of basketry is out there for you to try. You already know more than you think. I can guarantee you that 90% of the baskets in this photo you already know how to weave, you just need to put together the pieces you know in different combinations.

Now just to make you feel bad, my mom and dad take those baskets down at least every 2 or 3 months and dust/vacuum each one. Remember this is only a portion of their collection. I just tell people that come to my house if they look at a basket they have to promise to put it back in the same spot otherwise you will see the dust ring!

Fun in St. Louis

2009-09-29T19:21:00.004-05:00

This is the kind of fun you are in for if you come to one of the workshops I host in St. Louis. No, not basket weaving (though that part is fun), great food. I always take the teacher and anyone else that wants to join us on a feeding extravaganza around St. Louis. One of my favorite stops is at Crown Candy Kitchen, the home of the ridiculously large, but equally ridiculously delicious BLT (though I prefer just a BL). They are also know for their hand poured chocolate and ice cream, including the best banana malts around. So if you enjoy good food and good weaving then join us next year of a class.

Trash to Treasure (or how a $5 shelf became a $100 table)

2009-09-20T09:37:00.005-05:00

OK, so I am obsessed with HGTV and the DIY Network. I even have the most expensive package of satellite channels (250) just so I can get DIY. Well one of my favorite features are the "trash to treasure" shows. I guess I get it from my dad, but I love taking something from a flea market or even out of the trash (yes I am a big dumpster diver from way back) and make it into something useful. While my dad really takes a broken up dresser and makes into into something beautiful, most of my projects to date have only consisted of tightening up some legs and a fresh coat of paint.

A few years ago on one of my garage sale (tag sale for those of you on the eastern seaboard) expeditions I came across three restaurant-quality stainless steel shelves for $5 a piece. Well seriously, who could pass up a deal like that? They were even still in the boxes! I didn't initially have a use for them, but knew the wheels were already turning in my head so that wouldn't be a problem. The first two quickly became the top for the bar in my basement. Like so many homes here in "south city" St. Louis, my basement features a 50s-style party bar, complete with knotty pine, bamboo matting, rope edge shelves and plenty of kitsch. The bar itself was in pretty good shape, but needed a new top to replace the odd linoleum covered one. A coat of paint, wood end caps and two stainless steel shelves butted together made for the perfect "modern" top for my upgraded bar.

For the last 3 years the third remaining shelf has been sitting in my garage (along with a bunch of other stuff I keep dragging home) just mocking me to make something out of it. My foundation is made of stone so the walls are too irregular to hang shelves from so simply mounting the shelf to the wall was our of the question. It it was going to be anything it would have to be free standing.

One of the staples of the "trash to treasure" makeovers is the use of galvanized steel conduit pipes. The shows just love to take something like an old door, add four pieces of pipes for legs and "ta-dah", you have a table! So simple and so inexpensive, at least that is what they always say on the show...

So, something clicked in my head and the wheels were turning. I wanted to have some more drink prep area behind my bar and wouldn't a stainless steel table to match the bar just be perfect? I did a bit of research online and found that indeed galvanized pipe (I guess it is actually used for electrical conduit, I never really did find out its actual intended usage) is relatively inexpensive. A short section or fitting is only a couple bucks a piece, so seemed like the idea solution to my problem. A quick sketch to determine the pieces I was going to need and I was ready to head to Home Depot. I decided that I needed to have a second shelf and that could be made out of scrap wood from some old glass block shelves (another dumpster find) I had made for my first apartment that had long been disassembled.

I happened to have the Tuesday off after Labor Day so decided to use that as my errand running and project completing day. I arrived at Home Depot with list in hand and after some searching finally found the galvanized pipe section. I decided that I could use 1/2" pipe instead of the larger 1" sections that the TV designers favor. It was a dollar so so cheaper, depending on the section, so since I had only paid $5 for the top I really wanted to go for the whole "make something great for nothing" experience.

Here is what I ended up with when I got home:

3' poplar board $3.98
3' aspen board 2@$1.70
36" galvanized pipe 2@$8.02
18" galvanized pipe 4@$5.05
12" galvanized pipe 4@ $3.36
8" galvanized pipe 2@ $2.66
4" galvanized pipe 4@ $1.24
galvanized cap 4@ $1.33
galvanized tee 8@ $1.57
galvanized flange 4@4.25

So, have you been doing the math in your head? Come on, the short sections are only $1.24 and the tees only $1.33, this is going to be a great inexpensive project, right? WRONG! All these little pieces added up to over $100!! Well, Mr. Hardhead was already well into the project at this point so I took my cart of pipe and my considerably lighter wallet home to start my construction project.

Of course you can never go to Home Depot just once. I realized after I got home that the 8" sections I bought were too long so had to go back and exchange those for 6" lengths. Hey, they were each 88¢ cheaper! I also realized that I didn't need a 36" board for my back splash, but a 48" length. Whoops, that was $6.85 instead of $3.98, there goes my 88¢ (x2) savings. I also hadn't thought about how I was going to get the lower shelf secured so had to get four "pipe straps", but hey, they were only 19¢ each! So, after much cussing and cutting and screwing pipes together and some leftover paint from the bar my table was complete (after 8+ hours of work) and ready for use.

I really am quite pleased with how it turned out and it looks and works great next to the bar.

Lessened learned: The things you see on TV do-it-yourself shows are neither as easy nor as cheap as they appear to be...

What happened?

2009-09-18T07:12:00.002-05:00

What in the world has happened to August and now half of September? It will officially be fall in a few days. I have been so remiss in my blogging. So much for my goal of writing something once a week. Maybe now that the yard and outdoor activities are winding down I can devote a little more time to this. I haven't been weaving much, but I have done a couple projects around the house I will write about (hopefully soon).

Stains and Oils

2009-08-16T16:32:00.008-05:00

Below are my answers to some common questions about stains and oils used on baskets.

Weaver's Words - September 30, 2007

About stain, oils, etc.

When I used to weave a lot of reed baskets I if I were to stain them I always used one of the Minwax stains. Usually I would dilute the stains with mineral spirits/paint thinner as reed absorbs stain very quickly and you can end up with a very dark basket in short order. Also, by diluting the stains I could achieve lots of different shades. I would also sometimes mix colors to get ever more shades. A personal pet peeve of mine is to walk into a basket booth at a craft fair wherever single basket is the same color. It just makes all the baskets look generic to me, but as I said that is just my personal preference.   

I never used any "oil" on the bodies of any baskets that I make, I will use boiled linseed oil/turpentine on my handles and rims of my black ash baskets, but never on the weaving. There is a lot of misconception about things called "oils", these aren't oils in the way one thinks of mineral oil or baby oil. Oils such as tung, linseed, Danish, etc. are actually wood finished and seal the fibers instead of "moisturizing" them as I think weavers are intending to do to their baskets.  

Here is what I found on the internet concerning these "oils": Tung oil is made from the pressed seed from the nut of the tung tree. Tung oil is considered a drying oil much as linseed, safflower, poppy and soybean oil. When applied it provides a tough, highly water-resistant finish which does not darken noticeably with age as does linseed oil.  Tung oil is also sometimes called “China wood oil”. It has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years in China to seal decorative and marine wood as well as porous masonry.  "Danish oil" or Polymerized Linseed oil is, in its unadulterated/pure state, a non-toxic, wood finishing oil, similar to Tung oil. However, like tung oil, it is often used in various finishes with the addition of solvents or other substances, that are often toxic. Polymerized Linseed Oil gets harder and more durable with age. Buff occasionally with a soft cloth. Now, I am not saying any of these or products that contain these are necessarily bad for your baskets, but I just want to make sure everyone understands that they aren't making their baskets more flexible, but are actually sealing their baskets from breathing. While they may make your baskets look wet, they aren't actually increasing the moisture level of them.

So to actually answer [the] question probably the only true best finish for your basket is NO finish at all. A light dusting with a soft brush and a mist with water is the best way to preserve you reed baskets. If you want to add color to your basket you can always use something water soluble like tea, coffee or other dyes. (The above does not apply to Nantucket baskets which traditionally have a hard finish applied to them in the same way a piece of wood furniture would be finished)   NEVER OIL [OR STAIN] AN ANTIQUE BASKET! The only time you want to oil an antique basket is if you want to remove any value from the piece as you will destroy the natural patina of the basket.

Also never wash or soak an antique or even a new oak or ash basket. Use the method I describe above, use a soft brush and a light mist of water or even better rotate them through the bathroom so that the steam from the shower hydrates them.

Hope this helps answer a few questions out there.

Basket Bits Feature

2009-08-02T13:07:00.004-05:00

If you haven't seen it yet, I am the featured artist in the current issue of Basket Bits magazine, #67-August 2009. Here is an excerpt from the article.

What drew you to basket weaving?

I grew up in a family of creative people, who were always making something. When I was little and would go over to my grandparents, I would draw pictures and my grandma would make them into stuffed animals. Basically we made stuff all the time, so I grew up with the idea that if you had an idea in your head you could just make it in 3D.

My mom owned a fine needlecraft store where she also carried other current craft trends, like stenciling, folkart painting, etc., which gave me the opportunity to dabble in various arts and crafts. Making baskets was a perfect fit for me because I could start with a concept and a pile of wood strips and in a few hours I would have this completed basket. Like my grandma, who would take a few scraps of fabric and make a bird out of it for me to play with, I could now take a bunch of reed and make it into something that was only in my head.

Beyond all of that I am drawn to the repeating and rhythmic patterns in baskets. I have always been drawn to the repeating shapes in nature like the veins in leaves or the spirals in shells. I find the process of weaving to be relaxing yet exciting as you watch the basket take shape.

Applying Finish to a Finished (completed) basket

2009-07-05T08:46:00.006-05:00

Another question I get asked often is about applying finish or varnishes to baskets. Of course these are just my opinions, ask 10 basket makers and you will get 10 different answers.

Weaver's Words July 9, 2006

In general you will want to leave your weaving materials unfinished and un-oiled. Anything that is going to seal your basket from the elements is also going to seal it from the moisture it needs to breath and remain flexible. Just like starch makes a shirt look nice, but wear out faster, so does finish on the fibers of a basket. Woven baskets, by their very nature, flex and move, any kind of hard finish is going to make the fiber stiff and more prone to breaking. About the only baskets that are traditionally "finished" are Nantucket baskets and sometimes coiled pine needles (but I don't prefer them to be). Oiling a basket (not tung oil or boiled linseed, which are actually finishes, but something like mineral oil) may seem like it would make the fibers more flexible, but oils tend to attract dust, which will also shorten the life of the basket. If you want to oil the handle or rims that is fine as they don't need to "flex" like the body of the basket. So in summation, it is better to leave your natural fibers (which reed is) just natural.

I will post sometime about how I like to finish my Nantucket baskets. It is a multi-step process, but I think gives a great result. Until then, happy weaving.

Martha Wetherbee Workshop 2009

2009-07-02T20:27:00.005-05:00

Wow, I can't believe another workshop has already gone by. It seems like I was just getting the classroom area setup for Martha's classes and now it is time to get cleaned up and ready for JoAnn Kelly Catsos' classes that will take place at the end of the month.

As always everyone had a great time. It was blistering hot up until the last day, with heat indexes around 110 degrees. My air conditioning was running overtime and I am frightened to see what my electric bill is going to be this month, but at least we stayed cool. We had 15 students, including myself, taking two classes over four days. The first was a continuation of a series of nested Nantucket baskets and the other a larger version of a Bushwhacker basket we made last year. I finished up my nesting set of nine Nantucket baskets by making the smallest, #0, which was about 2" in diameter and woven with 1.25mm cane. I also made a 7.5" diameter Bushwhacker basket that my 5.5" basket from last year fits in nicely. I was very pleased with how both basket turned out, especially the Bushwhacker.

In the near future I should be posting all of my class photos on my main website JASkets.com with descriptions of everything we were doing.

The plight of the basket tree

2009-06-27T10:12:00.006-05:00

I ran across a great blog posting by Mike Reichenbach about the battle to save the ash tree in the United States. If you live in an area where ash trees grow please consider helping out with this project.

Collect seed now to keep ash trees in Minnesota
September 16, 2008
Emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive species, threatens to kill Minnesota’s ash trees. In response, Andrew David, a University of Minnesota forest genetics researcher, and Mike Reichenbach, forestry educator with University of Minnesota Extension, began a project to protect the genetic diversity of ash in Minnesota.

Black ash stand near Cohasset, MN
Seed collected from wild-grown ash trees will be sent to a seed storage facility in Colorado. This is a proactive response to the presence of EAB in the upper Great Lakes region and the lack of a viable quarantine method to keep Emerald ash borer out of Minnesota.
Ash seed has been ripening all summer and will be ready to pick when the seed coat is brown. Collection of seed will begin in the next 1-2 weeks (around the end of September 2008) and can continue through much of the fall. Black ash seed will fall with the leaves while green ash seed will remain on the tree for awhile after the leaves have fallen. It will be easier to collect from trees before the seed is scattered by winds and rain. Persons wishing to collect seed should watch the ash seed collection webinar found listed under the webinars tab at the following website: http://forest.nrri.umn.edu/ash. The ash seed collection form can also be downloaded from this site.
Minnesota is host to three species of ash: white ash, green ash and black ash. While white ash is an upland species found along the Mississippi River in southeast Minnesota; both black and green ash are common lowland hardwoods found throughout the majority of the state. Ecologically, black and green ash are the most important hardwoods in the lowland forest community. They represent 51 percent of the lowland hardwood cover type in Minnesota. Black ash is very important in native cultures as a source of wood for ash baskets. Both black and green ash provide a source of pallet, saw and veneer logs. All of Minnesota’s native ash species are threatened by EAB.
EAB was most likely introduced to the region when it was transported on wood packaging of an overseas shipment from Asia in 2002 to the Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario area. Within the United States the insect is most often transported on firewood. As of August, EAB has been found in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ontario, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It has been responsible for the death of over 20 million ash trees despite quarantines on moving nursery stock and firewood out of infected areas.
This conservation effort will preserve the genetic variation for a future point in time when EAB can be controlled and ash species can be reintroduced to Minnesota using locally adapted seed sources.
For more information contact Mike Reichenbach, (888) 241-0724, reich027@umn.edu; or Gary Wyatt, (888) 241-3214, wyatt@umn.edu, both with University of Minnesota Extension.

Reprinted with permission from MyMinnesotaWoods.org

If the current population of ash trees are wiped out, if we can save seeds and replant, it will be 50 or 60 years before mature trees are available again. This would be devastating to all black/brown ash basket makers. Hopefully we can eradicate the emerald ash borer before total destruction of the trees.

White Oak Melon Baskets

2009-06-21T11:13:00.005-05:00

Dee and Dennis Gregory from Tennessee are white oak basketmakers and prolific teachers. Not only do they make beautiful baskets, but they also make wonder weaving kits. I purchased these awhile back and finally found time to make them. Now I have to say at best all I can claim is to have woven these baskets as all the ribs were already in place so all I had to do was finish weaving over/under to fill in the space. That is not to say it wasn't fun working on these as I so rarely get to use white oak. With white oak basketry having such a long tradition here in Missouri I feel badly that I haven't explored it more. As with so many things, "maybe someday, when I have some free time."

Both of the baskets I would call "melon" shaped in stead of buttocks or gizzard as many white oak ribbed baskets are since they don't have the bulbous shaped sides. The darker stripes in the baskets are from the naturally darker heartwood of the tree with the lighter weavers from the sapwood. Over time as the baskets darken the difference in color will become less and less noticeable, but it will be years before they get that kind of patina. The smaller of the two baskets measures about 4" in diameter and now hangs on the basket tree in my weaving room. The other oval shaped baskets measures about 7"x5" and hands from a peg board over my picture window.

Black and White Basket

2009-06-13T08:15:00.005-05:00

This basket was woven using a puzzle mold and kit from Marlys Sowers of Iowa. Marlys' husband Jeff turned the base, lid and one-piece rim which were dyed black using India ink (something I had never heard of doing before). The staves alternate between natural and dyed flat oval reed and it was chase woven with natural and dyed Hamberg cane.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy this basket was to weave. Because of the shape of the puzzle mold the staves did have to be tapered on both ends which took some extra time, but setting up the base was as easy as alternating between the two colors (Marlys recommended gluing the staves into the base, but I never do that on my Nantucket style baskets so omitted that step myself). While the weaving pattern looks like it would be complicated, after weaving the first row where I had to count each "stitch", all subsequent rows were just a matter of following the pattern below. The contrast between the natural and black makes this a truly striking basket.

I also purchase another smaller mold and with a cherry wood lid and staves kit along with another cherry lid and rim set for the larger mold. While the kits are not inexpensive the materials are of superior quality and the resulting baskets unique additions to any collection.

Martha Wetherbee Woodchip Basket

2009-06-13T07:58:00.005-05:00

This is the latest addition to my collection of baskets, a Martha Wetherbee Shaker woodchip basket. The basket was woven in 1984, relatively early in Martha's career as a Shaker basket historian. Over the years the basket has developed a nice patina and darkened to a deep honey color.

The basket features oak runners laced to the bottom of the basket with leather and a leather liner sewn to the inside of the basket. Baskets like these were made by the Shakers to transport and store short lengths of wood for the small wood stoves they used to heat the rooms of their buildings. The wooden runners or "skates" laced to the bottom of the basket allowed the loaded basket to be dragged by a rope across the snow or ice like a sled. The leather liner kept any wood scraps from falling out onto the floor of the neat and orderly Shaker homes and buildings.

I was fortunate enough to come into possession of this basket when a collector from Boston, MA contacted me to ask if I knew the value of the basket. I informed him that according to Martha's 2008 price list a new woodchip basket with liner was $2,500.00. He had listed the basket on Craig's List, but hadn't gotten any offers, so I made him one and the basket was mine. I am excited to shop Martha my new aquisition when she visits at the end of the month for our annual workshop.

Aqua Globes

2009-05-29T18:10:00.004-05:00

OK, so this isn't technically about basketry, but almost all my plants are in my basket weaving room, so I guess that counts. If you are like me and alternate between over watering your plants and letting them dry complete out, then Aqua Globes are for you. You know, the hand blown glass spheres that you fill with water, stick into your house plants and leave them to water your plants slowly over the next two weeks? Yes, those. Well I wouldn't order them over the phone or online when they are now available at stores like Target and Walgreens. I purchased a set (the come in a box of two) one day on impulse as they were only $10 and my plants were desperate for help. Well after only a couple of weeks I was sold on them and ready to buy two more for my other plants. Since I have started using them my plants have never looked better. I have philadendrons and they were always so spindly and the leaves were always turning yellow and falling off. Now I have none of that and they are getting so much fuller.

You need to have fairly large pots though as the globes are about 3" in diameter and the "spout" is about 8" long and they would probably tip over a small plant. Mine last over two weeks before I have to refill them, but it seems to depend on the pot on how fast the water is drained. At first the difference in water absorption really had me freaked out that one of them was not working properly, but I refilled both and switched what pot they were in and the same pant just drank the water more slowly than the other. When you pull the Aqua Globes out of the pots to refill them it will look like the tips have been clogged with dirt, but that doesn't seem to be the case in reality. You just have to flush out the tip with water to refill them. Put them back into the plants and you are good for another couple of weeks.

Honestly I have no vested interest in Aqua Globes, but I do think they work just as promised on TV. I know so many of us are so busy all the time, what with so many baskets to weave, that we sometimes let other household chores fall by the wayside. This is an easy and actually pretty solution to a problem (that of course wouldn't exist in the first place if I could remember to water my plants!). Give Aqua Globes a try and let me know what you think.

Instant Coffee and Tea Stain (follow-up)

2009-05-22T20:59:00.005-05:00

I had a follow-up question to my comments about tea staining. Someone was having problems with "water spots" on their basket after they had applied the stain. Here is how I addressed that issue.

"Weavers Words" Vol. 4 Iss. 16
Date Sent: June 28, 2000

I have had problems similar to what you are describing. It usually occurs on large baskets or in conditions where the basket is drying before it is completely saturated with the stain. I have found that if I stain the inside of the basket first and then the outside I will get better results and if there are any areas that appear to be drying too quickly I will re-wet them with the tea stain. I believe what is happening is that as one side dries the newly applied stain to the opposite side soaks/runs through the weaving and gives parts of the basket a double dose of color. If a basket has dried blotchy I will heavily sprayed it with clear water, which will wash off a good portion of the color lightening up the entire basket. As I said in an early posting about tea dying I actually prefer some color variation as it more closely resembles an old basket, which is what I am trying to simulate with the coloring in the first place.

Displaying your basket collection (part one)

2009-05-18T07:57:00.005-05:00

If you are like me you have a lot of baskets and face the challenge of how to display all of them. I have a small house and not a lot of room, but a lot of baskets so I try to utilize as much of my available space to the best use as possible. Fortunately small to miniature baskets don't take up a lot of space, but they can be challenging on their own to display.

I have found that flea market found shelves are a great solution. The can often be found for little money and usually without much work can be fixed up to look great. The little shelf here was already painted and only need a good dusting to be ready to hold some of the many strawberry baskets I have in my collection. This shelf is small, but easily holds 5 of my baskets.

This little shelf was a craft show find. It was unfinished, but I painted and distressed it to match the rest of the room. It displays my collection of miniature basket molds, Native American strawberry, pine cone and acorn baskets and other odds and ends.

This shelf was a garage sale find. All it took was a little sanding to distress the edges and it matched perfectly the rest of my furniture. It hangs in my study and holds a variety of Native American baskets.

I found this shelf at a neighbor's garage sale. I was running out of available wall space so hung this one in the stairwell going into my basement. It was wasted space that was prime for displaying some small baskets I have woven and collected, including a Stephen Zeh basket.

Another flea market find is this little corner shelf. It tucks in nicely in my bathroom in a space that would otherwise be completely wasted. It holds a nice twined Native American basket, two lidded coiled pine needle baskets and a small brown ash basket I wove myself.

This is probably my favorite display. Even though it is technically a "Christmas tree" I keep it up all year round in my basket weaving room. It is filled with small and miniature baskets I have collected, both contemporary and antique, along with a couple that I have woven myself. Most of the baskets are from Alice Ogden. She weaves a new ornament basket every year.

Instant Coffee and Tea Stain

2009-05-07T20:37:00.005-05:00

I get a lot of question asking me about different aspects of my basket making. I mentioned one time on Weavers Words that I like to use instant coffee or tea to stain my reed baskets and someone asked how I did this.

"Weavers Words" Vol. 4 Iss. 13
Date Sent: June 23, 2000

I usually only mix up enough to do one basket at a time and brush mine on, so I usually use one cup hot water and about 1/8 cup instant tea for a light golden color to about 1/4 cup for a medium color. I just start dumping some tea in and test a dab on the basket and see what I think. I add more tea or more water depending on what I want. I don't use much instant coffee anymore, but that is because I have a couple of big jars of the tea in the cabinet. I think the tea gives a slightly more golden yellow cast and the coffee a little more of a brown color. It is a pretty subtle difference. I have never mixed the 2 together as I don't really think it would make much difference. I have saved extra mix before in the refrigerator and heated it in the microwave when I wanted to use it again.

In a subsequent issue of Weavers Words some asked about water spotting on tea stained baskets and this was my response.

"Weavers Words" Vol. 4 Iss. 15
Date Sent: June 26, 2000

Yes, the instant tea/coffee stain will water spot. I have really only noticed it on the handle before, not on the body of the basket. I don't find the minor spotting to be offensive as it just adds to the overall patina of the basket. The tool basket I used for years was stained with instant tea and has gotten splashed many a time and it looks great still. I have used ultra-strong brewed tea from bags before to dye reed to be woven in a basket and I suspect that is as permanent as you can get. The brewed tea gave a different color, more grays and browns in shade than the instant tea. I haven't ever used any kind of finish on a tea stained basket.

Bushwhacker Friendship Basket

2009-05-03T12:22:00.006-05:00

This is one of four Bushwhacker or Taghkanic basket I have in my collection. The Bushwhackers were native to a small area of New York state and their baskets were often confused with Shaker work. This particular style of basket is known as a "friendship basket". To see another example of a Bushwhacker visit my collection page on www.JASkets.com

Their work is distinctive from the Shakers and includes details not found in other baskets. An example of one of these is the "knot" shown in the detail photo. The baskets are started by weaving over ones knee. So that they could always weave in a clockwise direction the Bushwhackers would tie off their last bottom weaver, flip the basket over and then reverse directions for continuing up the sides. A great resource for more information on these unique basket can be found in Martha Wetherbee and Nathan Taylor's book "Legend of the Bushwhacker Basket".

Ben Higgins' Basket

2009-05-01T20:19:00.005-05:00

This is a basket from my collection. It was woven by Ben Higgins (1894-1981) of Chesterfield, MA. Ben was a prolific basket weaver working in white ash as his father had before him. This particular basket is referred to as an "automobile lunch" basket as it was designed to fit the running board of cars of the era.

The basket still bares the rubber stamped signature "Made By B. G. Higgins The Basket Shop Chesterfield, MA".

NCBA Exhibit Room

2009-04-29T22:41:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of photos of JoAnn Kelly Catsos' basket that won "viewer's choice" at the 2009 North Carolina Basketmakers' Association convention. Wow, what a beautiful basket. Cherry rims and handles with dyed uprights and natural ash weavers. I hope to see this basket in person when she comes to teach at my place in July.